UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 13

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 13
UPL & EUROPEAN COMPETITIONS ROUND UP
Matchday 12 was a relatively subdued affair. Mariupol beating Zorya 3-2 was the standout result whilst the league leaders Shakhtar scraped a victory against Desna to maintain their place at the top. Dynamo once again ended up as 1-0 victors against Vorskla, with Denys Boyko currently holding the record for the most clean sheets in European leagues this season. Lack of goals still seems to a problem, and the striker dilemma continues unanswered, despite Supriaha registering his first assist in the UPL for Tsyhankov’s winner.

Elsewhere Vyacheslav Shevchuk got his first ever win as a manager, with a 1-0 win over Chornomorets! FC Lviv held off to win their first home game of the season against bottom side Arsenal Kyiv whilst city neighbours Karpaty lost to the almighty Oleksandriya! What a season they’re having! 
In Europe, Ukrainian sides had a mixed bag of results and emotions. Shakhtar were played off the park by Manchester City in Kharkiv and it is uncertain whether they will be able to even make the Europa league group stages, looking at the fixtures they have left. 
Meanwhile in the Europa League, Dynamo Kyiv won their first game in France in over 20 years! Buyalskiy’s last minute winner was enough to give Dynamo their first three points of the campaign. 
Vorskla also enjoyed success! They travelled to Baku to face Qarabag, where they ended up winning 1-0 and securing a historic first EVER victory in the Europa League! To put the victory in perspective, Qarabag were in the Champions League group stages last season, so their result should not be overlooked in terms of magnitude!

SPECIAL GUEST OF THE WEEK
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Our thirteenth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Donetsk Way member and craft beer supplier, Ewhen Chymera. In Ukrainian circles he’s usually identified as coming from Bradford. However, Ewhen clarifies that he was actually born in Chesterfield and he currently resides and work in Leeds. Despite these Yorkshire connections, due to family influence, he’s a Man United fan, whilst his main team in Ukraine are Karpaty Lviv. Like most Ukrainians, he also naturally follows all Ukrainian teams when they’re in European action. 
DONETSK WAY: THE ORIGIN STORY
The Gold Renault Laguna
Ewhen is the third member of Donetsk Way to feature in our Predictor this season. Whilst the group have been covered extensively in some of our previous articles, we still wanted to get some extra insight into Ewhen’s personal experiences as a member. Ewhen managed to reveal the origin story of the group’s conception. “Donetsk Way really started with a drunken chat about plans for Euro 2012 at Tarasivka in 2011 (I think only Dre may have been there). There were articles all over about the lack of accommodation and difficulty driving, so I was floating the idea of buying and converting a van into a camper for the trip to tick both boxes. This morphed in time into the purchase of a golden Renault Laguna and the trip itself…”
The road sign in question
The name of the group originated from Sheffield. Donetsk Way is a street and tram stop in the area. Ewhen had been aware of this since  his dad talked about it after being involved in the twinning of south Yorkshire towns with Donbas towns. Ewhen added “Barnsley is also twinned with Gorlovka, and there is an awesome imperial stout by Acorn Brewery in Barnsley named in honour of this, however at the time I was actually the street naming and numbering officer in Leeds; I literally named streets for a living so there was added interest professionally. In my role, I was trying to fit Ukrainian place names or words into the streets of Leeds. Look out for Yalta Court, and streets named after my niece and nephew.” As part of this project, he ended up researching other Ukrainian street names across the UK etc. The plan to actually ‘get’ (steal) the Donetsk Way street sign never came to fruition… 
BEER OBSSESSION
Away from Donetsk Way, Ewhen has an obsession with craft beer. This has manifested into an annual Ukrainian beer festival in Bradford and the establishment of a Ukrainian beer importing company, focusing on promoting smaller scale Ukrainian breweries outside of their native Ukraine. With PyvoFest being the brainchild of Ewhen, and with this year’s event coming next month, we asked Ewhen to share with us how it all began. 
He revealed “PyvoFest started weirdly enough in 2012, it’s in its 6th year and continues to grow. I was responsible for sourcing stock for Bradford Ukrainian club and discovered I was able to get more and more different Ukrainian beers, so it made sense to celebrate this with a beer festival, which also was able to promote Ukrainian culture, traditions and food beyond the normal circles.” 
“The first event sold out with a few weeks to spare and every Saturday session has sold out since, which has been amazing. One of my favourite bits is that although the diaspora does support the event, it has really taken off among Bradford locals, who now won’t miss it! Since those early days we’ve added a Friday session, a personal fav, a neighbours beer bar, a flavoured Vodka bar, a secret gin snug and enjoyed some amazing beers from Ukraine that you will not see outside of the country!”
BEER BEYOND BORDERS
Additionally, Ewhen wanted to source the UK with Ukrainian beers all year round, not just Bradford or for a solitary weekend every year. This led to the creation of Pyvo UK. He explained “I remember wanting to be the first to get Ukrainian draft beer into the UK and originally wanted 1715, however when I learnt they were actually owned by Carlsberg my interest cooled, and I started looking for much smaller craft breweries in Ukraine, just as the scene exploded into the mainstream in the UK. 
This is how I developed the relationship with Pravda Beer Theatre in Lviv, and we’ve worked together ever since, bringing about Pyvo UK Ltd, which is now the company responsible for bringing amazing Ukrainian beers into the UK. We are just readying ourselves to open an online shop allowing us to sell direct to the public for the first time, which will be amazing. I went to Ukraine this September and had some really good conversations with loads of other breweries that we hope to be able to work with going forward.”
PYVOFEST 2018
Speaking about the preparations for this year’s installment of PyvoFest, Ewhen seems confident. “This year’s PyvoFest is on 9th& 10thNovember and everything is coming together nicely. I can’t wait to start drinking the beers, there’s over 60 in all, with 40+ from Ukraine, with the most we’ve ever had on draft which is an added bonus. This does mean I will be building a new bar to go along with my Tryzub bar this weekend; which tells you a little about behind the scenes stuff, which started the day after last year’s festival. Thankfully Bradford’s community really pulls together and delivers a great festival, I couldn’t do it year on year without their help.”
Tickets are still available for PyvoFest 2018! 
You can get them via the link below:
CLICK HERE FOR PYVOFEST 2018 TICKETS

AWAY DAYS
Returning to the topic of football, Ewhen has been a seasoned follower of Ukrainian football for almost 20 years. Both before and after the creation of Donetsk Way, he has regularly attended games featuring Ukrainian sides. We wanted to find out which games stood out in particular but firstly which live game kicked it all off for him. 
“I think my debut game was France v Ukraine in 1999 at the Stade de France, when a coach load of us went from Bradford Ukrainian Club. It was at the Stade de France and was an incredible atmosphere. We were so excited, me and my sister actually walked and talked on the way home from school, I don’t think that happened before or after!” 
As far as specific experiences away days go, Ewhen’s trip to Andorra really stands out in his memory. 
“There were only a handful of us there, and we met Sasha Motson for the first time. Andorra was an unbelievable place, with duty free alcohol everywhere so we enjoyed that! We also had the pleasure of meeting Tymo(shchuk) as the squad roamed the streets; although we hardly had the courage to speak as he walked past!”
In terms of specific live game moments, Ewhen counts Sheva’s goals v Sweden as a sweet memory from 2012. However, he remains slightly undecided adding “Though saying that Andriy Rusol’s goal v Saudi Arabia will always stay with me, as it’s the first goal Ukraine scored in a major finals. I have a video that Petro (Chymera) took during the moment of that goal going in, and the celebration says it all!”
TV CAMERA MAGNET
Ewhen has a knack of getting picked up by cameras during games (compared to the other Donetsk Way lads and other fans in general). A particular moment at Euro 2016 that made it into the The Mirror and onto a TV show on VICE comes to mind. We wanted to find out what the secret is to getting yourself on TV whilst attending a game. 
Ewhen responded “Why am I seen more than the Donetsk Way lads? Well, Dre is looking for the best Wifi, which is never at the front; Styop is normally asleep during games and Petro is normally on a mission to redecorate an entire city in whatever sticker is flavour of the day!
But otherwise if you go to enough games, especially those where few others are – Scotland U21s v Ukraine U21s in some random Scottish backwater you’ll pop up on a camera every now and again!” We’ll keep that in mind for the future…”
Having recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, we thought it would be apt to wrap up the interview, finding out whether Ewhen got up to any football related activities whilst out there in addition to his reflection on the current season so far. 
“As always I have kept an eye on Ukrainian football, though its another awful season for Karpaty. Vorskla have impressed me in Europe despite their first couple of games not going for them (though I was gutted to have to miss them versus Arsenal due to broken bones at home!!!). After this week’s Champions League result I fear for Shakhtar.”
“Whilst I was in Ukraine, I got to Mariupol v Olimpik Donetsk whilst in Kyiv, and enjoyed that game a lot. Mariupol are having a good season, and had an extra gear against OD! I also got to the Veres Rivne supporters bar/café, and had a really good chat with the lads in there about the state of that club. They have to play 40km from Rivne, gave up there UPL place and are experiencing money troubles etc. It was a real insight into the real state of Ukrainian footy, especially in how the clubs and state are still so closely entwined.
EWHEN CHYMERA’S SOCIAL LINKS:
⚽️Ewhen on Twitter
⚽️Ewhen on Instagram
⚽️Donetsk Way on Twitter
⚽️Donetsk Way Website
🍺PYVO UK LTD Website
🍺PYVOFEST 2018 TICKETS
🍺PYVOFEST EVENT ON FACEBOOK
PREDICTOR TIME
A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.


SATURDAY

Desna Chernihiv v Mariupol
Todos’ prediction: Mariupol shocked the league last week, with a comprehensive win over Zorya Luhansk and I feel they’ll carry some momentum in this fixture against an inconsistent Desna. Mariupol to steal a win. 1-2
Ewhen’s prediction: A narrow victory on the road for Mariupol. 1-2
RESULT: 2-0: BEZBORODKO (5′ & 47′)



Arsenal Kyiv v Shakhtar Donetsk
Todos’ prediction: Shakhtar will want to put their performance against City to one side and get their scoring momentum back after last week’s late winner against Desna. Regardless of line ups, Shakhtar should see off Arsenal with ease and it could get ugly for the Kyiv side. 0-5
Ewhen’s prediction:‘Even after Man City showed their class in Kharkiv on Tuesday, Shahktar though likely much changed will stroll through this one.’ 0-4
RESULT: 0-3: ALAN PATRICK (44′), BOLBAT (55′), KOVALENKO (63′)


Zorya Luhansk v Oleksandriya  
Todos’ prediction:This game is a battle of the over and underachievers this season. Zorya have been very poor this season, whilst Oleksandriya continue to fend off opposition to third place. I feel Zorya will be desperate to get a win but against such opposition, spoils will be shared. 1-1
Ewhen’s prediction:‘Zorya have to start winning at some point, the quality is there they just seem to be conceding for fun though, hence the high score!’ 3-2
RESULT: 0-0
SUNDAY
Chornomorets Odesa v Karpaty Lviv
Todos’ prediction: Chornomorets’ recent form has been woeful. They’re living up to the pre season prediction of battling relegation. They face the perennially inconsistent Karpaty Lviv, who will look to try and turn their season around after a spate of poor results. Neither side really has the defensive ability to hold onto a lead. 1-1
Ewhen’s prediction:‘Both teams need a win – it’ll be awful.’ 0-0
RESULT: 0-5: SHVED (2′), PONDE (48′), MYAKUSHKO (79′, 90+5′), HUTSULIAK (90+7′)

Dynamo Kyiv v FC Lviv
Todos’ prediction: Dynamo surprised everyone and got a victory in Europe this week, now they will look to continue their hot form in the league. 1-0 has been Dynamo’s most popular score line this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it again here. 1-0
Ewhen’s prediction:‘Dynamo don’t score enough goals to ever make anything comfortable.’ 2-0
RESULT: 0-1: TAYLOR (21′)


Vorskla Poltava v Olimpik Donetsk
Todos’ prediction:Vorskla will still be high off the buzz of their first ever Europa League win in midweek but I feel this may lead to a hangover in the league. Lack of goals have been a problem for Vorskla and Olimpik this season and it will end up being evident during this game. 0-0
Ewhen’s prediction: ‘This will depend how Vorskla are after their European travels, but should have enough to nick it.’ 2-1
RESULT: 2-1: SNURNITSYN OG (44′), KULACH (67′) / POLITYLO (16′)
MATCHDAY 13 WINNER: 
EWHEN CHYMERA – 60 POINTS
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook
GUEST LEADERBOARD 
Total scores after week 13
Todos
490
Guests
660
Todos v Guests
P13
W6
D2  L5

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 12


UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 12
UPL REFRESHER & INTERNATIONAL ROUND UP
The UPL returns after a fortnight of hibernation due to the international break. Before Ukraine set off to draw with Italy in Genoa and beat Czech Republic in Kharkiv to secure their berth in League A in the next Nations League installment, the UPL closed off with a relatively subdued weekend. Oleksandriya won the Game of the Matchday with another 3-2 victory against Chornomorets Odesa. They maintained their third place spot, as Dynamo beat Olimpik narrowly in Shevchuk’s managerial debut for the Donetsk side. 
Shakhtar succumbed to a 1-1 draw against Donbas rivals Zorya, in a heated affair, featuring massive a backlash on social media against Ihor Kharatin who went in for a malicious tackle on Taison. Taison was subsequently injured in that game and faces some time on the sidelines. Vorskla Poltava’s winning run came to an end in spectacular fashion as two Serhiy Hryn wonder goals, secured bottom side, Arsenal Kyiv a surprise win away from home. 
Moving onto the International break and Ukraine really impressed. Playing Italy in Genoa would always be a tough friendly, but Ukraine matched the Italians in the second half after a shaky first half. Some Pyatov butter fingers, lead to Italy’s goal before Ruslan Malinovskiy’s first Ukraine goal secured even spoils. One thing that was apparent is that Ukraine need to be more clinical in the final third, creating countless chances but missing far too many sitters. 
Czech Republic in Kharkiv were next up for Ukraine, in the Nations League, after two wins in September. A draw would have been enough to secure Ukraine top spot and promotion to League A. Ukraine got themselves a win. Another Ruslan Malinovskiy goal got Ukraine all three points, in an end to end game, which was a great example of what UEFA had intended to see from this new international competition. Ukraine now go into their remaining fixtures of the calendar year unbeaten, and with a poor Slovakia side and Turkey left to play, Ukraine really could see out the whole of 2018 as undefeated!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. However, this week Andrew will be facing off against himself, with our guest only partaking in the interview on this occasion.
Our twelfth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Footballski football writer, Karim Hameg. Karim was born in Algeria but moved to France aged 15 and has resided across the Channel for 13 years since. He supports Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1, whilst also backing France and Algeria when it came to the international scene. He also disclosed that he holds sympathies for Eastern European teams, particularly from Ukraine and Russia.
WHY UKRAINE & E. EUROPEAN FOOTBALL?
Karim in Kyiv, May 2018
We were fascinated to find out how and why Karim follows Eastern European and Ukrainian football so closely, despite not having any direct links to any of specific country in the region. He revealed ‘My fascination for Eastern Europe has existed since I was a kid and as a football fan it was normal to be interested by the football there. I started by following Russian football over 10 years ago and then Ukrainian football a bit later.’ In terms of keeping himself up to date, it’s usually quite paramount that one has a grounded knowledge of the Russian language, with it often being the ‘chosen language’ of the majority of sport and its stars in the region. As a result, we asked Karim about his own ability to be able to keep up with domestic medias, in particular Ukraine. Karim told us ‘I know Russian a bit, Ukrainian not as much but sometimes I do read the media from there.’
With such an interest in Ukrainian football, it was interesting to discover whether Karim had visited Ukraine before. Fortunately, he had made his first trip there this year and its whole premise gravitated around football. Karim explained ‘I visited Kyiv at the end of May during the UCL Final weekend even despite the fact that I didn’t have a ticket for the game. I watched the final in a fan zone with a friend from there I visited. I may not have been able to catch any league games during my time there, but I did visit end up visiting Lobanovsky stadium.
FOOTBALLSKI.FR
Karim has put his avid following of Ukrainian football to good use and regularly contributes to Footballski. ‘Footballski is a website in French language which talks about the Easter European football.’ It is on Footballski, where Karim writes a weekly UPL summary (in French) with two other France based contributers (Phillipe Ray and Remy Garrel). The usual format of the UPL sum-ups begin with a more in depth analysis of a particular weekend’s bigger games, usually featuring one of the big two. This is normally followed by more concise round ups of the other matches. A feature Zorya Londonsk is particularly fond of is the Team of the Round graphic and the ‘fans of the week’ photo segment. We asked Karim to expand into the background of Footballski and how a French language site on such a topic came to be. Karim explained ‘The project was launched a bit more than four years ago on Twitter, as a meeting of all the French who had an interest in Eastern European football. We launched the weekly UPL summaries in 2017, based on the format that already existed on the site, for Russian League. I am one of three authors of the UPL round up. That’s my main contribution to the website, although I sometimes also talk about international football and other topics that fall into my sphere of interest and expertise.
UPL & UKRAINE’S 2018/19 SEASON SO FAR
As Karim reviews the UPL every week, we wanted to know his take on the UPL so far. On this topic, Karim responded, ‘I have, of course been impressed by Shakhtar but do seem to be weaker in the big games and I don’t know how they are going to deal with Taison’s injury, especially as it looks that it will sideline him for a lengthy period. Oleksandriya and Vorskla, at points have also, made a good impression for me. Oleksandriya, really overachieving so far this season. However, I’m a bit more disappointed by Zorya so far this season and by Dynamo’s poor attack, which has seemingly been detrimental to many of their performances this season.’
With the recent managerial changes, we also wanted to find out Karim’s views on who he thought would be the greater success this season. Would it be the veteran, Vyacheslav Grozny at Arsenal Kyiv or Vyacheslav Shevchuk, the managerial rookie. ‘I think Shevchuk will be more successful considered that Arsenal is already in a poor situation being at the bottom of the table with a poor squad.’
Malinovskyi celebrates scoring v Italy
I did and I’m pretty happy to see Ukraine promoted to league A for the next Nations’ League, it’s well deserved for them and for Shevchenko’s work. I think Ukraine can qualify, especially now they have a joker with the Nations’ League. For what I saw I was impressed by Ruslan Malinovskyi who seems to be a promising player.
KARIM HAMEG’S SOCIAL LINKS:
⚽️Karim’s Twitter
⚽️Karim’s Instagram
⚽️Footballski’s Ukraine homepage
⚽️Footballski on Twitter

⚽️Footballski on Instagram
PREDICTOR TIME

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.
FRIDAY


Shakhtar Donetsk v Desna Chernihiv
Todos’ prediction:A sizable contingent of Shakhtar’s international players return from the international break in a buoyant mood. With the Ukraine and Georgia representatives of the side, returning as winners of their respective Nations League groups, there should be no let up when it comes back to club football. Desna may have won their last match comfortably before the short league hiatus, but the league leaders will be just too ruthless for the promoted side. Moraes to have a field day. 4-0
RESULT: 1-0 – MAYCON (88′)
SATURDAY


Mariupol v Zorya Luhansk
Todos’ prediction: Zorya’s first half to the UPL season (pre winter break) has been seriously disappointing. It seems the Europa League qualifying defeat and Vernydub’s flirting with resignation has affected the squad’s performances. They lack the prominent striker that they have been able to rely on for the past few seasons. 
With Hromov recently returning from injury and resettling into the starting line up once more, he may be what Zorya have been missing. Mariupol sit level on points with the Luhansk side but have also been highly inconsistent, with their defence being particularly temperamental this season. Zorya will want to build on their stalemate with Shakhtar, last time out with a resolute win on the Azov coast. 0-2
RESULT: 3-2 – BORYACHUK (30′ & 36′), ZUBKOV (83′) / HROMOV (90′), KOCHERHIN (90+3′)


Vorskla Poltava v Dynamo Kyiv  
Todos’ prediction: Despite suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Vyacheslav Grozny’s Arsenal before the break, Vorskla Poltava will be ready to bounce back in the reverse fixture of the opening game of the season. Dynamo narrowly won that game after a Shust mistake. Both sides will also have an eye on their European ties, which are must wins for both sides. As a result, it’s highly probable that this game will be lacking in chances and will be low scoring. Vorskla to ruin Khatskevich’s weekend birthday celebrations. 0-0
RESULT: 0-1 – TSYHANKOV (40′)
SUNDAY


FC Lviv v Arsenal Kyiv
Todos’ prediction:Lviv were resolutely battered at home by fellow promoted team Desna a fortnight ago, and they face another promoted side this week. Vyacheslav Grozny got an instant response to his appointment by his players with a shock victory away to Vorskla, however I feel neither side has the cutting edge to get a victory here. Score draw. 1-1
RESULT: 1-0 – DUARTE (36′)


Olimpik Donetsk v Chornomorets Odesa
Todos’ prediction:Vyacheslav Shevchuk’s coaching career started with a slender loss to Dynamo two weeks ago. There were positives to be seen from that performance and Slava will hope to build on this, with his side participating in a few friendlies during the international break. Chornomorets won the reverse fixture at the start of the season, but I feel their shock factor has run out now as they inevitably begin their relegation battle. Olimpik to edge it. 2-1
RESULT: 1-0 – DEHTARYOV (70′)
 

Oleksandriya v Karpaty Lviv
Todos’ prediction: Oleksandriya return to action on the back of two consecutive 3-2 wins. Their ability to come back and never say die attitude is why they sit third in the table. In stark contrast, Karpaty have been unable to kill off game, take advantage of chances and seem to be constantly chasing their games. Oleksandriya should have this in the bag, and will look to get a clean sheet too if they can keep Shved quiet.2-0
RESULT: 2-1 – SHASTAL (11′), KOVALETS (41′) / HUTSULYAK (54′)
MATCHDAY 12 FINAL SCORE: 20 POINTS
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

GUEST LEADERBOARD (UPDATE IN PROGRESS)
Total scores after week 12
Todos
470
Guests
600
Todos v Guests
P11
W5
D2  L4

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 MATCHDAY 11

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 11

It has been quite the eye opener in the Ukrainian football world this past week. The UPL has welcomed two new managers to its ranks. One is all too familiar to Ukraine’s top division and the other is making his first steps into the management career ladder. Vyacheslav Grozny returns to action as new manager of Arsenal Kyiv after Ravanelli’s departure. Grozny could be equated to the likes of Big Sam or Harry Redknapp, in terms of his favourable press image and press conference memorability.His results on the other hand, especially in his most recent previous roles, have not been wholly successful. 
Vyacheslav Grozny
Arsenal Kyiv may improve under him but it still seems destined that they will head back down to the Persha Liha once the season is over. The second manager to be unveiled this week is Vyacheslav Shevchuk. He’s taken the Olimpik job after Roman Sanzhar, at the club since 2011, stepped down. The former Shakhtar and Ukraine NT defender takes his first full time role in the coaching sphere and he will be keen to make a big first impression against Dynamo Kyiv.
Last time out, Karpaty succumbed at home to the sheer might of Shakhtar, as the visitors maintained their lead at the top. Dynamo narrowly edged out city rivals Arsenal Kyiv to make it 3 UPL wins on the trot. Oleksandriya also came on top against Olimpik Donetsk, having scored a last minute winner in a 3-2 victory. They remain third in the table. Elsewhere, Vorskla who have been on serious form in the UPL, continued that spate with a win away to a dismal Desna side. 
In midweek, European action called upon the three Ukrainian representatives to play in the second matchday of group stage fixtures. All three sides will have hoped that the games didn’t happen. Shakhtar surrendered a 2-0 lead against Lyon in an empty stadium, to draw 2-2. A point is a point I guess… 

In the Europa League, Vorskla led Sporting Lisbon 1-0 for 90 minutes. It was once time had almost run out that Vorskla capitulated and conceded 2 in 2 minutes. Zero points so far. Dynamo Kyiv were disgraceful. Besedin returned to the starting line up against Jablonec and as you’ve guessed; he didn’t score again. Goals were being created in a quick paced first half, Dynamo also went 2-0 up inside 15 mins. Jablonec rallied back and a silly mistake from Pivaric led to the equalizing goal. 

All three sides need to buck up for the next two games. It really will be make or break for Ukrainian clubs vying to get a knockout round in the spring. Goals or bust!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests.
Our eleventh guests of the 2018 – 19 season is Donetsk Way’s Stepan ‘Styopa’ Luczka. Stepan originally hails from Leicester, but has lived in Coventry for the majority of his life. He told us how he used to be a season ticket holder at ‘Cov City’, so he’s naturally a sky blue fan. But after living in Luton for the last seven and a half years, he also keeps an eye out for Luton Town, and goes to watch games from time to time.
Stepan (2nd from R) with some familiar faces
He also took up supporting Leicester City too but that was coincidentally during their title winning season and has since become disconnected with the club one more. On the topic of Ukrainian teams, he supports, Stepan explained that he liked to see them all do well when competing in Europe, but his Ukrainian footballing soft spot lies with Karpaty Lviv.
DONETSK WAY
Stepan is well known in the Ukrainian community in Britain and across Europe too due to his involvement in the British Ukrainian football group ‘Donetsk Way’ and also for his work in running the UK Ukrainian Sports Supporters Club (UKUSSC).
Stepan is the second member from Donetsk Way to take part in our UPL Predictor this season. Styopa will be aiming to try and better the score of close friend Petro Chymera, who accumulated 20 points in Matchday 3. We asked Stepan to refresh the minds of those who know and to introduce any new people to Donetsk Way by explaining who they are and what they do.
Donetsk Way (L-R) Dre Luczka, Stepan Luczka, Petro
Chymera & Ewhen Chymera
“Donetsk Way was set up in 2012 with the 4 of us (Ewhen, Petro, Dre & me) when we went on our Road Trip across Europe for Euro 2012. From then its evolved into writing blogs about our various footie trips (except for Dre who goes on trips, then doesn’t blog about it – leaving us to question, does he really go on football trips…? Hahahaha). As well as player profiles & other blogs all relating to everything Ukrainian football.” You will be able to find links to all the Donetsk Way social media pages and their website below.
U.K. UKRAINIAN SPORTS SUPPORTERS CLUB
Stepan also helps to run the UKUSSC; a sporting organisation that aims to sell tickets through official channels (via clubs & their official partners) for Ukrainian fans wanting to go and support Ukrainian teams playing in the UK. We also asked him to elaborate on the background of the Supporters Club and what it’s like behind the scenes from the obtaining of tickets to the distribution process.
“UKUSSC was set up in 2008 by Martyn Chymera. Previous to this, there was no official channel of getting tickets to go to matches in the UK. That said I was still young at the time, and no idea how but always ended up getting tickets somehow.”
Stepan continued, “Martyn’s idea was to create an organisation that allowed one easy place for supporters to get tickets to matches.”
Styopa is now involved is a small committee that includes 9 volunteers. In relation to the ticket acquiring process, Stepan explains that the process in general is now quite straightforward as they have now have a good amount of suitable contacts. However, he admits that “prior to having contacts it was always a lot of work in contacting the particular club, advising them on who we are, then liaising with the UK team and tying everything up which sometimes proved a tad difficult.”
In terms of the ticket selling stage, Stepan told us “We have a database of email, phone numbers & more recently social media accounts, where we advertise & publish info. People follow the steps and obtain tickets via post usually with 1 week to go until match day. We do this, so none of us have to miss the game ourselves (as has happened in the past) when waiting for last minute stragglers.
The Sports Supporters Club’s events are usually football related. Clubs dealt with in the past: Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zorya Luhansk, AJ – Fury (the fight that never happened) and official recognition from FFU.
The UKUSCC has currently opened ticket sales for the UEFA Champions League Group stage match between Manchester City – Shakhtar Donetsk that is happening on 7th November 2018 at the Etihad Stadium. In order to secure your own tickets, the UKUSSC Facebook page for more information, a link to which you can find below.


UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL HOME & AWAY
With it being well known that Stepan has been to countless games over the years featuring Ukrainian teams, we wanted to know whether there were any particular games that stood out for him over his supporting period.
“There have been a lot of games over the years! It’s difficult to pick one stand out moment, as for me it’s not just about the football. It’s the whole trip of being away, beers, travelling and having a laugh with mates.” We can certainly vouch for this!
Stepan continued, “However, footballing wise; Being at both Europa League / UEFA Cup finals were great experiences! Dnipro reaching the Europa League final in Warsaw, and Shakhtar winning in Istanbul. Ukraine v Spain in WC 2006 too is a memorable one. Yes, Ukraine got spanked, but it was the National Team’s first ever match at a WC! Another fond memory was being at Ukraine v Belarus for a WC 2010 Qualifier in Lviv. There are many stories from the trip, but I was sat in with the ultras for the match, and we were right behind the goal where Sheva scored. Unbelievable scenes & atmosphere.”
Aside from his memories of live games we also wanted to find out about any other fond experiences that Stepan had relating to Ukrainian football in general.
Alex Glyvynskyy (Bottom row, 2nd from left)
“Following the Ukraine NT and other Ukrainian football teams has enabled me to make a lot of friends through football; such as Kostyantyn Andriyuk – football journo and Alex Glyvynskyy – press officer at the FFU.”
“Other memorable experiences include getting press access to a Zbirna closed training session during Euro 2016 where Yevhen Konoplyanka called me a kozak… It’s a true story!” Stepan also ranks meeting the entire Ukraine team in 2012 highly. “They flew into Luton airport when they faced England at Wembley in a match famous for Konoplyanka’s screamer.”
UPL FANTASY FOOTBALL CHAMPION
With Stepan being the reigning UPL Fantasy Football Donetsk Way league champion, we wanted to know what he lay his success down to. Styopa couldn’t contain his laughter at being asked such a question. He replied “Hahahahahahahahhahaha that’s a fantastic question!?!?!? Depending on who you speak to (remaining flids of Donetsk Way) last season was void, so I am not the current champion, so I’m glad for your recognition. That sort of behaviour wants me to join Zorya Londonsk, rather than be associated with them boys at Donetsk Way.”
In relation to his success Stepan elaborated “I lay down my success to total, and nothing else but pure football knowledge. Others may say that my success is purely down to which players are on fire (Team of the week) when choosing the team. I’ll let you decide which one you think is true…….” We’ll definitely be going with the latter!
THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL SEASON
Finally, ahead of the predictions, we needed to find out about whether Stepan has been keeping in touch with much Ukrainian football this season and whether any clubs or players had particularly stood out for him!
Stepan admitted, “Nowhere near as much as I would have liked to in all honesty. Can’t comment on players, but good to see Oleksandriya up amongst the ‘big boys’. Hopefully they can last up there all season. However, generally speaking Ukrainian football is in a bit of a shambolic state at the moment which is never good to see.”
STEPAN LUCZKA’S SOCIAL LINKS:

⚽️Stepan Luczka on Facebook 

⚽️The Donetsk Way Website 

⚽️Donetsk Way on Facebook 

⚽️Donetsk Way on Twitter 

⚽️UKUSSC on FB
PREDICTOR TIME

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.
SATURDAY


Mariupol v Karpaty Lviv
Todos’ prediction:After last week’s humiliation at the hands of Shakhtar, Karpaty will want to get back to winning ways. Performances have waned since the win over Dynamo, with Marian Shved looking to be the only creative and goal scoring outlet in the side. Mariupol are no pushovers but will just be overwhelmed in the end. Heart over head in this one. 1-2
Stepan’s prediction: A goal apiece and a point apiece.1-1
RESULT: 1-1: BORYACHUK (52′) / HUTSULIAK (13′)

Oleksandriya v Chornomorets Odesa  
Todos’ prediction:Oleksandriya grabbed their first win since before the last international break last weekend. The last minute winner after coming from behind will buoy the players to start performing from the off. Volodymyr Sharan’s side will secure the points in this one. 2-1
Stepan’s prediction: Oleksandriya to hold their position amongst the top three with a win. 2-0
RESULT: 3-2 : KOVALETS (44′), SHASTAL (55′), BANADA (70′) / HRACHEV (18′), TATARKOV (80′)
SUNDAY

FC Lviv v Desna Chernihiv
Todos’ prediction:Neither side has had a particularly great season so far. This has draw written all over it. However, whilst a second 0-0 for Lviv was tempting. A score draw bodes well for both. 1-1
Stepan’s prediction: Desna to pick up three points on the road. 1-2
RESULT: 1-3: DUARTE (52′) / A.FAVOROV (4′ & 87′), FILLIPOV (28′)

Dynamo Kyiv v Olimpik Donetsk
Todos’ prediction:After the shambles that was the Europa league capitulation in the Czech Republic, Dynamo will want to ware off any European hangovers with a win. However, they face an Olimpik Donetsk side newly managed by Slava Shevchuk and his assistant, ex – Dynamo player, Ruslan Rotan. Can definitely see another upset for Dynamo in this one. 1-1
Stepan’s prediction:Dynamo to just edge it. 2-1
RESULT: 1-0 : MOROZYUK (30′)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Zorya Luhansk
Todos’ prediction: Having seen Shakhtar play live last week in Lviv, they really are a class above the rest of the teams in the UPL. They didn’t have that many chances against Karpaty but converted a majority of the ones they got. Zorya are in a bit of a recent slump and that will continue in Kharkiv. 3-0
Stepan’s prediction: Shakhtar will take away all three points in this one. 2-0
RESULT: 1-1: J.MORAES (39′) / KHARATIN (49′)

Vorskla Poltava v Arsenal Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: The arrival of legendary Ukrainian football coach Vyacheslav Grozny will not be enough to save Arsenal Kyiv from the drop this season and his tenure will not get off to the best of starts. Vorskla will be wanting to put their last minute Europa League heartbreak aside and continue their hot winning form in the UPL. 2-0
Stepan’s prediction:A comfortable win for the Green and Whites. 2-0
RESULT: 0-2: HRYN (72′ & 79′)
MATCHDAY 11 – H2H WINNER: 
STEPAN LUCZKA
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

GUEST LEADERBOARD 
Total scores after week 10
Todos
450
Guests
600
Todos v Guests
 P
10  
W
 5
D    L
1     4

24 HOURS IN LVIV

24 HOURS IN LVIV

This business and sport infused whistle stop trip to Western Ukraine began on Friday morning. A refreshing 3:30am wake up for the 4:15am taxi to Heathrow Terminal 2 was how it started. Heathrow departures was almost derelict at this time of the morning, security took no time at all. After a quick coffee and cheese toastie, it was time to board the first flight of the day. The initial leg was flying me out to Warsaw before the connection to Lviv. I had two Ukrainians sat next to me on the Poland bound flight, but I didn’t have enough energy to chat and subsequently napped for the duration of the journey. 
Arriving in the Polish capital, an almost 3 hour stop over ensued before the short 45 minute transfer to Lviv. The non Schengen Zone part of Warsaw airport has literally nothing to do and very mediocre food spots. My fried egg and toast was nothing special and this meal set the precedent for the food that I would end up eating for the rest of my time away. Landing at the eerily quiet Danylo Halytskiy International Airport just after 3pm local time, it was time to buy a SIM card. A couple of days previously I’d paid one of those over the air unlocking websites, a decent amount of money, to do it and they estimated it would have been done by the day of the trip. Guess what? It still wasn’t.

IT ARENA @ ARENA LVIV
So after purchasing an EE add on of 15MB for a £5, it was time to order an Uber to take me to IT Arena, an IT & Tech event being held at Arena Lviv. There was no time to waste trying to haggle with rip off taxi drivers. A £3 equivalent journey later, I had arrived at the conference with a couple of hours to soak in the end of the day’s proceedings. I walked around the business fair, spoke to a few people and sat in on a few speeches. However it was obvious that everything was winding down and that tomorrow would be the day to network and make the most of! 
With that in mind, I knew that Karpaty Lviv were up against Shakhtar Donetsk that evening, at the not too far away Ukraina Stadium. A quick email to some contacts at Karpaty ensured that I’d be allowed to receive some press accreditation. Another Uber, now surcharged to £8 ensured I got to the stadium around an hour before kick off and was able to pick up my press pass. I went up to the Press area just behind the VIP seats, soaked in some of the warm up and then had a walk around the fringes of the old stadium. Just as the warm ups were coming to an end it was time to head back to the tunnel to see all the players walking back to their dressing rooms, handing out high fives to the star stuck mascots, who were eagerly waiting for them. 
Kick off approached and as the players re-emerged and headed for the pitch, it was time to hear back up to the press and VIP area. Serhiy Bolbat, who was not involved followed alongside Shakhtar’s Analyst Coach, Thiago Leal who I noticed were both communicating with each other in English. After the anthems were sung, I took a seat in the ‘free for all’ that is the VIP area, as long as you have the right access you can choose where you’d like to sit on a first come first served basis. As I did so, the Karpaty Ultras had already begun their pyro show and flag waving. There was only around 500 of them but they were by far the most vocal part of the stadium.

Stadion Ukraina under the lights
I was sitting next to a WAG of presumably a Karpaty player, as she let out a sigh in reaction to Rakitskiy’s early free kick that went into the top corner. It was just over 10 minutes played and Karpaty already had a mountain to climb. It only got worse for them as the half dragged on, Karpaty were caught sleeping and Ismaily was played through and had the easy task of passing it on a plate to the onrushing Fernando for a tap in. More goals followed in quick succession as Moraes pounced, then Marlos got his double. It all of sudden got quite chilly, and my pullover kagool was not doing much to keep me warm. 
People were leaving out the turnstiles at half time in their masses. I did initially think this was due to the score line but then realised many were coming back. They had either gone for a quick piss, picked up something from their car or to a nearby shop. I was really hungry at this point, I hadn’t eaten since Warsaw as the whole afternoon had been rather hectic. So £1.50 later, I was tucking into some sort of packaged cheese and salami ‘butterbrot’ that was slightly warm. Once again it was heavily mediocre but I was so hungry I didn’t care. Sunflower seeds at the football really is the equivalent of popcorn at the cinema in Ukraine. Almost everyone was eating them with supreme deshelling and spitting expertise.
As the second half began, I decided to spend it in the actual Press area standing up. It was quite empty, bar a few journalists, the Shakhtar and Karpaty cameramen filming for training sessions, and some commentators. Luckily there was an abundance of plug sockets so my phone was charging up nicely as I proceeded to make updates of the game via the Zorya Londonsk Twitter feed and through Instagram stories. However, as is usually the case in football matches, ‘it was a game of two halves.’ With one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Lyon, Shakhtar slowed down the pace of the game and made some substitutions.
It was only once Mykola Matvienko found himself in loads of space to latch onto a delightfully lofted through ball that the half saw its first real action. He touched it down calmly and finished with a low shot. Despite the score line, the Karpaty Ultras were buoyant, the shirts had long come off, the jumping was constant and countless flares, flash bangs and fireworks had been set off to add to an electric atmosphere coming from their sector of the stadium. As the game approached its final five minutes, I followed the other journalists back to the mixed zone and tunnel in anticipation of the returning players. Whilst waiting there, we got a great view of Marian Shved’s consolation goal. It was a beautiful curling effort that ended up in the top corner and more than deserved for his spirited performance.


Marlos (R)
As the game ended, the players walked up the tunnel, greeted with many of the mascots from earlier, eager to get their hand drawn pictures signed or a player’s match worn shirt. I left them the kids to it as I attended the post match press conferences. Not much was said that was of much value with neither team getting any real gage of their own abilities after such a one sided game. As that wrapped up, the players were now leaving for the bus. Marlos and Pyatov were kind enough to take a selfie, before being mobbed by Lviv schoolchildren waiting outside. As I emerged out of the main entrance, I introduced myself to a few Ukrainian sports journalists, Iryna and Maks from FootballHub and 2+2, explaining how I had come from London and spoke a bit about this football blog that you’re currently reading. Hopefully we will get to meet again in Manchester next month.
The early start to the day was starting to take its toll. Whilst it was only 8pm back in the U.K. I didn’t have the energy to go into town so grabbed an Uber to the hotel for a very late check in. The hotel I had chosen was on the outskirts of town as it was quite close to Arena Lviv. Hotel Patriarshyi is situated within the grounds of a seminary. The hotel itself has a 9/10 rating on Booking.com and at £22 for the night you can’t go wrong. It was extremely quiet so there’s no risk of being woken up in the middle of the night! However, this hotel certainly isn’t for the average tourist as it’s just too far away from the city centre. 
I had agreed to book in breakfast for 8:30am the next day. It was only £2 but I was still left largely disappointed. The omelette was rather oily and the sausage was a bit too garlicky for that time of the morning but that’s just Ukrainian breakfasts for you! After this it was time to book another Uber to the conference for a productive day of networking.


Roman Staretskyi from Invest in Lviv (R)
Every person I met was in disbelief at my ability to speak Ukrainian and the fact that I had come from London to go to the event. After handing out a large amount of business cards to a variety of interesting and important people, having sat in on a few tech speeches and had some rather delicious Pad Thai (breaking the under par food trend) it was time to head to the airport again. 
Nevertheless I made a stop at a supermarket first. However to my disappointment there weren’t many unique sweets, snacks or drinks on offer. I picked up some weird chewing gums and walked 20 minutes to the airport. Here I got through security even quicker than I had done in Heathrow, and explored Duty Free. 
€3 on a litre of some good standard Ukrainian Vodka was spent before I embarked on my flight back to Warsaw. Little did I know that I had been put in business class! The leg room was great! Then I got talking to the Swedish man next to me. After a while of a chatting over a rather disgusting in flight (but free) meal, he told me how he lived in London some ten years ago with his Ukrainian girlfriend. He had visited the Ukrainian Club in Holland Park countless times and had even lived in the UCU building near the statue of St Volodymyr! What a small world! 
I left my new over 60 year old Swedish friend as he was going back to Stockholm and I headed to Polish McDonald’s to see what unique menu items they had on offer. All I can say is that McDonald’s wings and their jalapeño burger aren’t worth getting! 
Business class on the flight back to London meant a free New York Times! This kept me entertained for duration of the journey home, but what I can say is that Broadsheet newspapers aren’t the most convenient things to read on planes. I had made a mistake with the main course meal on this longer flight. I opted for the Chicken dish over the Salmon one and was rewarded with some pink in the middle chicken! I wasn’t hungry enough to complain so just ate the rest that was on offer, such as a delicious ‘exotic dessert’. 
If you’re ever flying back to Heathrow at night, you get to see stunning Birdseye views of the capital city. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the plane to see the likes of the London eye, Wembley Stadium etc. I had to make do with the O2 Arena and the London Stadium. Oh well! I arrived back at around 10pm and that brought my hectic 24 hour trip to an end! Fun but exhausting stuff!

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 10

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 10
Last week was the first litmus test of the season for notorious the European competition hangover. It turns out that all three European representatives of the UPL, must have swallowed their Berocca and two litres of water ahead of their weekend fixtures. No hiccups occurred as Shakhtar and Dynamo Kyiv won comfortably and Vorskla Poltava secured three points against the formidable Zorya Luhansk. Granted a last minute own goal secured the Poltava side the three points, but they won’t be too bothered about the process. 
The Lviv derby also occurred last time out but ended in rather subdued fashion, as neither side was able to take a hold of the game and they drew 1-1. Oleksandriya continued to slip away from the top as they dropped down into third with a second successive loss and Arsenal Kyiv were left manager-less as Ravanelli stepped away after his side’s 3-1 loss to Olimpik. Furthermore, Dynamo and Mariupol, finally played their postponed fixture from earlier in the campaign and the Kyiv side comfortably took a 2-0 win back to the capital. They now remain 4 points off the Miners who are in top spot, with all games in hand having been played.
The Ukrainian cup also happened in midweek, with the lower ranked UPL sides taking part. 3rd tier FC Kalush, FC Minaj and Cherksashchyna all progressed through as the lowest ranked sides left in the competition. Notably Cherkashchyna knocked out Arsenal Kyiv to pile more misery on the club currently bottom of the UPL. Apart from them and Oleksandriya who lost to Chornomorets, the UPL have 10 sides going into the round of 16. That’s the magic of the cup!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Our tenth guests of the 2018 – 19 season are British Ukrainian folk punk rock band, Cov Kozaks. The band is made up of four lads from Coventry;  Alex Kosmirak, Danylo Barskyj, Zenon Dzula and Andriy Buniak; all Sky Blue through and through. Other members are Andy Maslanij from Wolves and Stef Fedeczko from Ashton. 
BAND ORIGINS
Cov Kozaks started out as just a group of musicians playing for their local Ukrainian dance group. The group shared a love for Ukrainian songs and music, but also the modern music coming from Ukraine. The band explained “We thought we would have a go at doing things a bit more seriously which ended up where we are today!” 
MUSIC STYLE
When asked to categorize their musical style, they responded ‘Our style is probably best described as British-Ukrainian-Folk-Rock-Punk-Funk… make of that what you will! Basically traditional Ukrainian songs, in a contemporary style.’ 
With their latest album ‘Who Else But An Idiot Would Want To LIVE’ and their 2017 release; Stand Aside Mykola showcasing their genre defying groove, we wanted to know whether they had any personal favourites that they were particularly proud of or just loved to perform. They responded ‘Aside from Ukrainian music we all have rather difference tastes in music and that is reflected in the styles of the songs, which vary from each track. We would probably struggle to pick a favourite song from the set, but “тиж – taranta” has been with us from the start and always gets the crowd going. You could probably describe this as our signature tune.’  
Asked to expand a little on what their latest album is about, the Cov Kozaks’ revealed, ‘The Live album is taken from a gig we did in Manchester last year, it’s a pretty cool snap-shot of what we are about, and gives you an idea of our style and energy. We hope to do a proper studio album at some point in the future and got some ideas for that in the pipeline.’ Looking forward to that!
TOUR 
Some pics from the Leicester gig
The Cov Kozaks’ are currently on tour at the moment. ‘We kicked off a mini tour to promote the album in Leicester last weekend and it went down a storm; we are still recovering from it now!’  Next up for the Cov Kozaks is London on 27 October at the Imperia Concert Hall, followed by Hospoda Live II at Tarasivka on 3 November. They also hope to add a few pop-up sets here and there to see the year out!
Aside from future dates, Cov Kozaks’ have supported a few big names in the past and even performed in Pravda Brewery in Lviv. We wanted to find out what their highlights have been since forming the band. 
Cov Kozaks after their Pravda Brewery gig
They told us ‘We’ve had a pretty crazy run considering we haven’t really played for much more than two years. A highlight has to be sharing the stage with Kozak System which was obviously awesome, and having the opportunity to play in Ukraine in Lviv, and to see our music being really well received out there will certainly take some beating. It will be interesting to see what the future brings!’



FOOTBALL CLUBS
Moving on from music we wanted to find out more about the band’s links too football. Who did they all support and what were their current club situations?
‘We’re all Coventry City fans since birth, and can just about remember the glory years in the Premier League, and experienced the rollercoaster ride since then. We’ve had two visits to Wembley in last two years (except for Alex who decided that a trip to Disney Land was more appealing) winning both times, which in our recent history is massive for us. But having been promoted up to League 1, we’re currently a bit inconsistent, and taking some time to settle back into a higher division, but hopefully if all the signings we’ve made this season start to click it should be okay.’
As for the band’s following of Ukrainian teams, they revealed that they support any of the sides playing in Europe, although Andriy has a greater allegiance to Karpaty Lviv, whilst Alex’s is towards Dynamo Kyiv.
UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL THIS SEASON
We also asked the lads whether they have been able to keep up with much of the UPL, Ukraine National Team or European matches featuring Ukrainian clubs so far this season and whether any teams, particular performances or players particularly stood out for any of them.
Zenon wears his Ukraine kit everywhere, even on stage
Zenon Dzula told us, “After playing like Messi at my Sunday league fixture, I got home watched Cov vs Oxford on TV and then caught the Ukraine vs Slovenia game straight after. I watched the Vorskla game on TV, thought they were punching above their weight and put a decent performance in!”
Alex Kosmirak said “I think Zbirna have so far had a great start in the Nations League! The game against Czech Republic saw a good performance from Zbirna, with a great performance from the controversial call-up of Marlos and super-sub Zinchenko. I think as we progress with this season, with players like Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka becoming match fit again, Zbirna will do quite well. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing Shevchenko mixing it up between the goal posts and playing Andriy Lunin instead of the slightly unpredictable Pyatov.” We couldn’t agree more with that last bit!

ALL TIME UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL MOMENTS
To end our interview with the band, we couldn’t miss out on finding out about the guys’ all-time top Ukrainian football moments. Here’s a selection of their responses:
DB: Being in Germany during the 2006 WC Finals supporting Ukraine (even if we were in the wrong city). 
ZD: Torn between seeing Shevchenko score two goals at the opening game of Euro 2012 in Kyiv and watching Ukraine beat Slovenia away from home to qualify for the Euro 2016 Finals, sealed by a last minute Yarmolenko goal. 
AB: I’ve been lucky enough to experience Zbirna’s time in the World Cup as well as both Euros. France was a wash out, but Poland/Ukraine was something that will really take some beating, maybe not so much for the football, but just being out there during that time was amazing. Other than that, a particular favourite was meeting Tolyk in Andorra and being part of a tiny crowd was awesome, and my favourite game was probably a qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb where we managed to draw level after being 2:0 down, with Sheva scoring an amazing header from a move he started in his own box! 
COV KOZAKS’ SOCIAL LINKS:

📱 Cov Kozaks on Facebook 

📸 Cov Kozaks on Instagram 

🎧 Cov Kozaks on Spotify 

🎧 Cov Kozaks on Apple Music

PREDICTOR TIME

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

FRIDAY


Karpaty Lviv – Shakhtar Donetsk 
Todos’ prediction:This week’s Friday fixture looks exciting on paper. Karpaty have already seen off Dynamo this season, can they claim another top two scalp? It will all depend on what kind of side shows up, as since that Dynamo win, Karpaty have been relatively woeful. Shakhtar in reality are just a class apart at the moment and will probably comfortably see of the Lviv side. 0-2
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: ‘Slava Brazil but Karpaty are at home so they will grab a goal.’ 1-3
RESULT: 1-6: SHVED (90+2′) / RAKITSKIY (13′), FERNANDO (26′) , MORAES (29′) , MARLOS (35′) , MARLOS (45+1′) , MATVIENKO (79′)

SATURDAY

Olimpik Donetsk v Oleksandriya 
Todos’ prediction: Olimpik were impressive last matchday but it should be taken into account that they were playing rock bottom Arsenal. Oleksandriya have lost their past two games and will want to rectify this significant loss of form. Could easily end goalless but Oleksandriya really need a win so will just edge it. 0-1
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: The Coventry lads have gone for the notorious score draw score line that has occurred so many times so far this season. 2-2
RESULT: 2-3: KOLTSOV (11′) , POLITYLO (29′) / SHASTAL (25′) , BANADA (73′) , HRYTSUK (87′ PEN)
SUNDAY


Desna Chernihiv v Vorskla Poltava
Todos’ prediction: Vorskla have a big game coming up in midweek against Sporting Lisbon and will permissibly be focusing on that. However, they will be confident that they can take all three points on the road in this fixture as they are in great form in the league. They still do lack a consistent outlet for goals so it won’t be a high scoring fixture. 0-1
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: Vorskla will get another win against out of form Desna. 1-2
RESULT: 0-2: KULACH (4′) , SHARPAR (62′)


Chornomorets Odesa v Mariupol
Todos’ prediction: It’s the battle of the seas! The Black Sea coast side host the Azov seagulls. Mariupol have been unpredictable of late but I feel the home advantage will see current overachievers Chornomorets to a narrow win. 2-1
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: Just the one goal will separate the two coastal sides. 1-0
RESULT: 0-1: VAKULA (69′)

Zorya Luhansk v FC Lviv
Todos’ prediction: Zorya succumbed to a cruel last minute own goal last weekend and will be desperate to get a win on the board. They face an FC Lviv side that are more than beatable. Zorya wont be able to keep the likes of Duarte out though. 3-1
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: A certified rout for Zorya Luhansk. 3-0
RESULT: 0-0


Arsenal Kyiv – Dynamo Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: The first Kyiv derby since Arsenal’s return to the top tier. It’s also their first league game since Fabrizio Ravanelli resigned last week. Dynamo have recently picked up some form and will be buoyed to solidify the statement that there’s only one true club in Kyiv. 0-4
Cov Kozaks’ prediction: The lads think Dynamo will take this tie comfortably. 0-3
RESULT: 0-1: DUELUND (35′)

MATCHDAY 10 – H2H WINNER: ANDREW TODOS
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook
GUEST LEADERBOARD (UPDATE IN PROGRESS)
Total scores after week 9
Todos
430
Guests
520
Todos v Guests
P10
W4
D1L4

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 9


UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 9
The UPL returned after the international break in subdued style. Not many goals were scored as Shakhtar reasserted their lead at the top of the table. They defeated their second placed rivals Oleksandriya whilst Dynamo continued their winless streak with a 1-1 draw away against Zorya Luhansk. Dynamo now sit 7 points behind Shakhtar but have a midweek game in hand to play next Wednesday. Arsenal Kyiv remain at the bottom of the league after losing to Desna Chernihiv, whilst Mariupol demolished Olimpik Donetsk 3-1, potentially picking up some of last season’s form that had been lost during their Europa League exploits earlier in the season. 
European action returned in the midweek with Shakhtar, Dynamo and Vorskla all in action. Shakhtar came from behind twice to secure a point at home against Hoffenheim. A superb Maycon strike helped make the game 2-2. Dynamo began at home to Astana, a game they should have won but once more were unable to secure the three points and had to settle for just one. When will the Dynamo crisis end? Vorskla travelled to London to visit the Emirates Stadium and left with their heads held high. A crowd of 400 Ukrainians cheered them on from the stands, who were ecstatic when Vorskla’s two goals went in. Regardless of the 4-2 result, Vorskla did not end up embarrassing themselves and will retain some confidence going into their game this weekend!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Our ninth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is journalist and founder of Legioners.ua, the popular Ukrainian football news Instagram and Facebook pages, Bohdan Sagash. Bohdan hails from Lviv where he supports his local side Karpaty alongside Dynamo Kyiv. His favoured European side is Real Madrid. He has been following football since the ‘German’ summer of 2006, the one and only time Ukraine qualified for the World Cup!
In conjunction to his work as a journalist, where he regularly produces content for Legioners.ua we decided to ask Bohdan about what inspired and motivated him to start his social media accounts about Ukrainian foreign based players. He told us that it was actually his friend, Mykola, who came up with the name for the project. ‘Since then the Legioners.ua pages have grown from strength to strength. There are now four team members and we strive to produce interesting and engaging content for our followers every day!’ 
In response to our question asking whether he ever thought his pages would become as popular as they are today, Bohdan played down any successes for the time being. ‘I can’t really say that is page is that popular and we are still searching for a larger target audience.’ However, Bohdan will take good stead from the fact that the original version of his Legioners.ua page accumulated over 25,000 followers ahead of the account being blocked and then deleted by Instagram. To rebuild the Instagram page back up from scratch shows great commitment and dedication to the cause – delivering interesting and unique content for Ukrainian football supporting fans. 
Further to mentioning the original version of the Legioners.ua social pages, we wanted to know why Instagram decided to ban it and leave Bohdan and his social team to start again. ‘Instagram didn’t tell us the exact reasoning behind the account removal, but it’s more than likely down to copyright reasons relating to video highlights. However, as the rebuilding process from this devastating decision continues, Bohdan and his team are in the process of releasing a Legioners.ua website. 
We enquired with Bohdan about what people can expect from the new online venture once it launches. He anticipates ‘We will be publishing exclusive interviews and videos, and in conjunction with this we will be starting to lots of different competitions via our Instagram page too.’
Bohdan with Oleksandr Zinchenko
In his capacity as a journalist, Bohdan attempts to regularly attend games. He was recently at the Ukraine v Slovakia Nations League game that was played behind closed doors. We asked him what he thought of the game and how he rated Ukraine’s overall team playing style. ‘The match itself was relatively tense, but I am happy that the team got the 3 points. I’m not going to single any one out for personal praise as all the players played great. It is without a doubt clear to see that Ukraine’s style and play is changing and the players are adjusting to it accordingly.’ 
Furthermore, as Legioners.ua has such a pronounced focus on Ukrainian players plying their trade abroad, we could not pass up on the opportunity to ask Bohdan his thoughts on the most inform footballer playing on foreign shores. ‘I believe that every foreign based Ukrainian player brings their own benefits to their respected clubs.’ 

In addition to this, we asked Bohdan to tell us which players he thought would have the best and most consistent seasons? ‘In my opinion, Malinovskiy, Yaremchuk and Seleznyov will persist with their high quality performances. Yarmolenko is still adapting to his new side and requires time regardless of his double against Everton. It’s also worth remembering Konoplyanka and Zinchenko, both are playing at the highest level and for top clubs in their league but they desperately need more playing time!’ 
BOHDAN’S SOCIAL LINKS:
 ⚽️Bohdan Sagash on Instagram
⚽️Legioners.ua on Instagram
⚽️Legioners.ua on Facebook

PREDICTOR TIME

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

SATURDAY


Mariupol v Oleksandriya 
Todos’ prediction: Oleksandriya’s form has dipped slightly in recent games but I feel they will likely regain some of it in this game. Mariupol are not easy opposition but they have been awful at the back this season so goals will be conceded. 1-2
Bohdan’s prediction: Bohdan is going for the all score draw. 1-1
RESULT: 1-0: FOMIN (8′)

FC Lviv v Karpaty Lviv 
Todos’ prediction: Karpaty are the most inconsistent team around. Every week their performances are wholly unpredictable and will probably still be feeling deflated after last week’s last minute loss to Vorskla. Narrow game with FC Lviv giving their counterparts a good game. 1-1
Bohdan’s prediction: Bohdan is backing his hometown club, Karpaty to grab a win against their city rivals. 1-2
RESULT: 1-1: DUARTE (78′) / MYAKUSHKO (74′)

Arsenal Kyiv v Olimpik Donetsk 
Todos’ prediction: Arsenal Kyiv are bottom of the table. Whilst they’re recent performances have improved, they are unable to get themselves ahead in games. Olimpik have been inconsistent so far this season, notably being let down by their defence which has been relatively solid over recent past seasons. Olimpik will edge the game as they possess a more experienced UPL squad. 1-2
Bohdan’s prediction: A narrow win for Olimpik. 0-1
RESULT: 1-3: HRYN (58′) / VAKULENKO (16′) , GRISHKO (64′) , DEHTYAREV (82′)
SUNDAY

Dynamo Kyiv v Desna Chernihiv
Todos’ prediction: Dynamo have been so poor recently but I just don’t believe this rut can go on any further. Desna are not the most formidable opposition and this fixture could be coming at the perfect time for Khatskevich. Get a win and relieve a miniscule amount of pressure. 2-0
Bohdan’s prediction: Dynamo to edge this game out. Just. 1-0
RESULT: 4-0: BURDA (45+1′) , VERBIC (67′) , KEDZIORA (74′) , TSYHANKOV (87′)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Chornomorets Odesa
Todos’ prediction: Chornomorets have been doing a lot better than expected this season, however regardless of their numerous recent good performances, Shakhtar will be ready to inflict serious damage. Slightly disappointed with their UCL result, they will be ready to take it out on the Odesa defence.4-0
Bohdan’s prediction: Shakhtar to win this game comfortably. 2-0
RESULT: 3-0: MORAES (57′) , TRUBOCHKIN OG (63′) , TAISON (82′)


Vorskla Poltava v Zorya Luhansk
Todos’ prediction: I was initially going to side with Zorya in this fixture but after Vorskla’s display at the Emirates and two well taken goals, Vorskla will be buoyed by their midweek display and will give Zorya a game. 1-1
Bohdan’s prediction:Bohdan predicts a UEL hangover for the Poltava side. 0-1
RESULT: 2-1: REBENOK (65′) , PRIYMA (90+2′) / KARAVAYEV (70′)
MATCHDAY 9 – H2H WINNER: ANDREW TODOS
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook
GUEST LEADERBOARD 
Total scores after week 9
Todos
390
Guests
490
Todos v Guests
P9
W4
D1 L4

 

UKRAINIAN SIDES IN EUROPE 18/19: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

UKRAINIAN SIDES IN EUROPE 18/19: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SHAKHTAR DONETSK
Home Stadium for 2018/19 Campaign: Metalist Stadium (Kharkiv)

THEIR GROUP:

⚽️MAN CITY⚽️

⚽️OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS⚽️

⚽️TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM⚽️

SQUAD 
GOALKEEPERS: 1: Oleksii Shevchenko, 30: Andriy Pyatov, 55: Oleh Kudryk

DEFENDERS: 2: Bohdan Butko, 4: Serhiy Kryvtsov, 5: David Khocholava, 18: Ivan Ordets, 22: Mykola Matviyenko, 31: Ismaily, 44: Yaroslav Rakitskiy

MIDFIELDERS: 6: Taras Stepanenko, 7: Taison, 9: Dentinho, 11: Marlos, 21: Alan Patrick, 23: Wellington Nem, 27: Maycon, 28: Marquinhos Cipriano, 29: Andriy Totovitskiy, 50: Serhiy Bolbat, 74: Viktor Kovalenko, 94: Oleh Danchenko, 99: Fernando

FORWARDS: 8: Olarenwaju Kayode, 10: Junior Moraes

SEASON SO FAR: 
Shakhtar started this season in a period of transition. They lost some of their key men of recent seasons during the summer. Prolific forward Facundo Ferreyra moved to Benfica, Bernard left for Everton whilst Fred departed to nearby Manchester United. Long serving club captain Darijo Srna was also released, after a doping ban. All three players featured heavily in last season’s Champions League campaign for Shakhtar that ended in the round of 16 against AS Roma. 
On paper it looks like these moves have depleted Shakhtar and left them short of serious European experience. However, they have recruited astutely, bringing in the likes of former Dynamo Kyiv forward, Junior Moraes and permanently signing striker Olarenwaju Kayode, from Manchester City, after a successful half season loan spell. Kayode has been injured for most of the season so far, whilst Junior Moraes has hit the ground running for his new side, continuing his consistent scoring record in Ukraine’s top division. Elsewhere, a new intake of midfielders from Brazil have also arrived at Shakhtar, but they have yet to fully bed in to the starting line up and will more than likely be used as substitutes during the European campaign. 

Junior Moraes (centre) is congratulated by team mates

This European season will more than likely see Shakhtar place greater focus on defence as they aim to shut out and narrowly edge their relatively similar abled group rivals for second spot. Manchester City are expected to finish top. Experience remains at the team’s core with Rakitskiy in the centre of defence and Stepanenko sitting in front of him in CDM. However, the loss of the energetic and aggressive Fred in CM will more than likely be felt against high quality opposition, with his replacement Fernando as of yet being inexperienced at such a level. Alan Patrick will continue to fill in this role as he has done in the league. Whilst Bernard did show glimpses of quality last season, his departure wont be as detrimental to the side. Marlos and Taison will remain key to Shakhtar’s attacking threat with Junior Moraes aiming to emulate Ferreyra’s European contribution of last season. 
REALSITIC AIMS: 
This group looks well balanced on paper. Whilst Manchester City are heavy favourites, second and third place could be taken up by any of these sides. Shakhtar will need to put in strong home performances against Lyon and Hoffenheim in order to to have a chance of getting through to the next round. Lyon have a seriously reputable attack that will be needed to be supressed and the tactical genius of future RB Leipzig coach, Julian Nagelsmann currently at Hoffenheim will need to be outthought. 
Shakhtar do have a genuine chance of reaching the knock out rounds but due to a lack of squad depth and the inability to beat their league rivals, Dynamo twice so far this season, they will probably finish third. This is probably more beneficial for the club, as Shakhtar are unlikely to be able to match the quality of a first placed side in the Round of 16. A long Europa League knock out campaign should then ensue with a serious possibility of them going all the way.
PREDICTED FINISH: 3RD

TACTICS:
Shakhtar will set up similarly to how they do in the league and will play in much of the same style as they did in last season’s Champions League campaign. 
4-2-3-1 is the preferential formation of Paulo Fonseca
KEY MEN:
Junior Moraes: 

Arriving from arch rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the summer led to much distaste from his former club’s fans. However, his decision has seen him start the season in electric form. He has scored 7 goals in 8 games and has also recorded 2 assists. Faster and more compact than his predecessor Facundo Ferreyra, Junior Moraes will bring a new dynamic to Shakhtar’s play in the Champions League. Rather than being a target man, Moraes is able to dribble with the ball and holds some pace. 
He’s a tricky nuisance in the box, ready to pounce on any defensive mix ups or goalkeeper spills. He also has the ability to hold up the play and pick out a shrewd pass for one of his attacking midfielders, namely Taison and Marlos who also have a knack for scoring. Moraes has experience in Europe with Dynamo Kyiv and scored 7 goals in the Europa League last season. He will be looking to seize the opportunity of playing in Europe’s top competition again and be aiming to maintain his early season goal scoring form going into the Autumn.
Marlos:

The Brazilian born, since turned Ukraine international has started the season as he ended the last; being the main man for Shakhtar. He pulls the strings from the right side of midfield, often drifting into the middle to orchestrate further goal scoring opportunities. He has so far scored 5 goals in the league and provided 1 assist this season. He will look to add to his European contribution from last season, where he managed 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 games. His link up play with Junior Moraes and Taison will be vital if Shakhtar are to outscore their opponents. 
He will also be aiming to work with either Oleh Danchenko or Bohdan Butko who, from the right full back position, will be looking for the overlap to feed Junior Moraes or the onrushing Taison in the centre of the box. As Junior Moraes is not the tallest of forwards, through balls and crosses along the floor will be the most common form of delivery from Marlos from his side of the pitch. He will also be aiming to whip in a few set pieces with the likes of Khocholava, Rakitskiy or Stepanenko regularly inside or on the periphery of the box waiting to knock into the net. 



EUROPA LEAGUE


DYNAMO KYIV
Home Stadium for 2018/19 Campaign: NSC Olympiyskiy (Kyiv)

THEIR GROUP:

⚽️FC ASTANA⚽️

⚽️STADE RENNAIS⚽️

⚽️FK JABLONEC⚽️

SQUAD 

GOALKEEPERS: 1: Georgiy Bushchan, 71: Denys Boyko, 72: Artur Rudko

DEFENDERS: 9: Mykola Morozyuk, 17: Sidcley, 23: Josip Pivaric, 26: Mykyta Burda, 30: Artem Shabanov, 44: Tamas Kadar, 94: Tomasz Kedziora

MIDFIELDERS: 5: Serhiy Sydorchuk, 6: Tche – Tche, 7: Benjamin Verbic, 8: Volodymyr Shepelev, 10: Mykola Shaparenko, 15: Viktor Tsyhankov, 18: Oleksandr Andriyevskiy, 19: Denys Garmash, 20: Vitor Bueno, 29: Vitaliy Buyalskiy, 99: Mikkel Duelund

FORWARDS: 41: Artem Besedin, 43: Nazariy Rusyn, 89: Vladyslav Supryaha

SEASON SO FAR: 
Dynamo Kyiv began their league campaign without any drastic changes to their squad make up from the season before. Junior Moraes left for Shakhtar, but his departure was expected after a loan spell in China had occurred in 2017. One problem this move has resulted in is that Dynamo Kyiv have been left to rely on three young strikers. Artem Besedin, who is the most senior of these three, is far from prolific and most of his performances leave a lot to be desired. Artem has scored 1 goal in 8 appearances and is injured for the time being. 

However, he is expected to return to the starting line up once he regains fitness. With such a scoring record coming from their main striker, it’s reasonable to expect that his back ups are in even worse form. However, Nazariy Rusyn, who made his Europa League debut last season and scored in the competition has 2 goals in 6 appearances. It will be a toss of the coin between him and 18-year-old, Vladyslav Supryaha, who made his club debut against Ajax in the UCL Play Off round second leg. He has made the step up from newly promoted Persha Liha side SK1 – Dnipro and is yet to hit the ground running with a goal. 
Supryaha has yet to score for Dynamo. Will he get his first one in the Europa League?

The lack of current goal scoring form has begun to be detrimental to Dynamo’s league campaign despite a promising start. They sit 7 points off Shakhtar in top spot but do have a game in hand over them.  Having beaten Shakhtar twice in the opening weeks of the season, once during the Ukrainian Super Cup and second in a home league game, Dynamo were continuing to grind out narrow wins. The lack of consistent goals was already blatant to see but nothing was done to address these problems, bar the signing of Supryaha. Manager Aleksandr Khatskevich and club owner, Ihor Surkis have paid the price with their lack of serious transfer movement in this area as the club crashed out of the UCL in the play off rounds and have failed to win their last three league games on the bounce ahead of the start of European competition. 
Whilst this hiccup is unlikely to last much longer, either via the dismissal of Khatskevich or through Dynamo bucking up and finally pushing aside the weaker league sides, it currently has the potential to harm their first few Europa League games. Viktor Tsyhankov, has yet to replicate his form of last season and opposite winger, Benjamin Verbic has faded out of form after a promising opening couple of months to the campaign. Luckily, Dynamo’s defence looks fairly solid for the time being with Mykyta Burda and Tamas Kadar seeming to be working well together in the middle but, even still, neither matches the authority and ability of the now departed duo of Yevhen Khacheridi or Domagoi Vida. Denys Boyko, in goal, is also temperamental in his performances. In some games he is unstoppable, saving every shot that comes at him, whilst in others he is hopeless. He’s either spilling long shots or flapping at corners and crosses and most of the time these mistakes directly impact the full time result. So this European campaign will really depend upon which Boyko decides to turn up as it will be in the defensive areas where Dynamo will seek to edge out games with their current lack of in form goal scorers.
REALSITIC AIMS
Looking over the group composition, on paper at least, Dynamo Kyiv should be looking to win it comfortably. However, in light of their recent dip in form it may not turn out that way in practice. Astana, in the second seed spot are seasoned in both Europa League and Champions League competitions in recent seasons. They will try to get an upset over the Kyivan side, all the more so as their manager is former Chornomorets Odesa boss, Roman Hryhorchuk.  Stade Rennais, are also a formidable side, playing against top Ligue 1 talent on a weekly basis. FK Jablonec will most likely be the whipping boys of the group on their Europa League debut but without any expectations, they shouldn’t be ruled out of causing an upset especially as Dynamo Kyiv are making a name for themselves as perennial ‘bottlers’. Despite this worst case scenario outlook, Dynamo should pick up some form over their autumn and winter games and should look to progress far into the competition. This will also depend on whether the usual ‘after the ‘winter break’ European melt down’ occurs or not. Dynamo certainly have the ability and talent to win this group, it will just boil down to the hunger of the players and the ability to shake things up from the manager, especially when things are going wrong!
PREDICTED FINISH: 1ST
TACTICS:

Dynamo will likely set up in Khatskevich favoured 4-2-3-1 formation with two inverted wingers. The full backs will look to push up the pitch to help the wide players out on the overlap to provide crosses into the box for the sole striker that will play up top on their own. 


KEY MEN:
Benjamin Verbic
Whilst Benjamin is already a club legend for his numerous match winning goals in games against Shakhtar since his arrival in January, he could become much more than that with big performances in Europe. The left winger started the season well, with goals in the league and champions league qualifying rounds. However, after those initial fixtures his form has since waned. This competition is the perfect opportunity for him to regain some of it, and to take the lead for a side depleted in confidence.
He’s a pacey wide player with good dribbling ability. His goals usually come from getting on the end of set pieces or stroking in from inside the penalty area. He will be looking to work with his left sided full back, Josip Pivaric, to link up play across that channel. As Verbic is a right footer playing on the left, he will also be able to cut in and provide square or through balls for whichever forward that starts and to his opposite number, Viktor Tsyhankov, who also has an eye for goal.
Josip Pivaric

Having taken extended time off to relax after reaching the World Cup final with Croatia, Pivaric has recently returned to the starting fold for Dynamo. His partnership with Verbic down the left flank will be vital in producing a large majority of Dynamo’s goal scoring opportunities. 

Pivaric is a no nonsense left back. His defensive qualities are of a high standard, and he is certainly not shy to fly in with a tackle against pacey wingers that work down his side. He may not be the fastest or technically gifted dribbler but he has got good crossing ability and should be available for Verbic on the overlap on most occasions. Likewise, his opposite number Tomasz Kedziora will be vital in linking up with Viktor Tsyhankov to try and pull off the same thing on the other flank.

VORSKLA POLTAVA

Home Stadium for 2018/19 Campaign: Oleksiy Butovsky Vorskla Stadium (Poltava)

THEIR GROUP

⚽️ARSENAL⚽️
⚽️SPORTING LISBON⚽️
⚽️FK QARABAG⚽️
SQUAD 
GOALKEEPERS: 1: Bohdan Shust, 21: Oleksandr Tkachenko

DEFENDERS: 3: Andro Giorgadze, 4: Ihor Perduta, 5: Najeep Yakubu, 23: Vadim Sapai, 25: Yevhen Martynenko, 33: Olexandr Chyzhov, 44: Ardin Dallku, 50: Ibrahim Kane,66:  Artur

MIDFIELDERS: 6: Oleksandr Sklyar, 7: Gegam Kadimyan, 8: Artem Habelok, 11: Vyacheslav Sharpar, 13: Marian Mysyk, 17: Volodymyr Chesnakov, 19: Volodymyr Odariuk, 29: Dmytro Kravchenko, 30: Aleksandre Kobakhidze, 82: Pavlo Rebenok

FORWARDS: 9: Mykhailo Serhiichuk, 10: Vladyslav Kulach, 14: Nicolas Careca, 26: Yuriy Kolomoets
SEASON SO FAR
Vorskla began the season in rather disappointing fashion. However, it was to be expected that they would lose to the Ukrainian big two in Shakhtar and Dynamo. 2 other losses and 4 wins have meant that they sit in 5thplace in the UPL ahead of their return to the Europa League. Vorskla finished third last season matching their best ever league finish since 1997. Vasyl Sachko’s has retained the majority of last season’s bronze medal side and due to their European inclusion have been able to recruit a couple Brazilians, a Ghanaian and a Malian. Artur, who signed from Internacional, has been a regular at left back, whilst Nicolas Careca, on loan from Gremio, has featured largely off the bench for the Poltava side and has one goal in 6 appearances. One thing Vorskla have been lacking in their 8 games so far this season is a consistent goal scoring forward. 
Will Yuri Kolomoets rediscover his goalscoring form in the UEL?

Vladyslav Kulach, is the side’s top scorer with 2 goals whilst his other forward partners, aside from Careca, are yet to open to their accounts. Vorskla have edged out their opponents in the league, with dogged and aggressive defensive displays. The side’s creative players; Kobakhidze and Sharpar do have the ability to put in quality balls or thread passes, however its their forward team mates, namely target men, Kolomoets or Serhiychuk who have been unable to convert chances. Kolomoets, who went a lengthy scoring run at the beginning of last season, has since had a significant dip in form and has been a shadow of the player than got a call up to the Ukraine National Team last autumn. 
REALSITIC AIMS
Vorskla Poltava go into their Europa League campaign as the underdogs. Their group holds formidable pedigree in Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon and FK Qarabag. All the sides have featured in European club competitions consistently in recent seasons. However, Vorskla go into this campaign with nothing to lose which may lead them to pull off a few shocks. Arsenal, have a new manager in Unai Emery, and it is more than likely that most of his first XI will be rested during the group stage round as he focuses on the Premier League. A probable sell out crowd for the tie in Poltava may buoy Vorskla to get a result.
Sporting Lisbon are recovering after a tumultuous summer, featuring fans beating up players and in response, losing many of their key men. Yet again, Vorskla may be able to take advantage of this. Qarabag enter the Europa League having participated in last season’s Champions League. On paper, they look to be the most likely side that Vorskla could get a positive result out of. As mentioned previously, Vorskla have got no expectations heading into this tough group and as a result the players will be able to go out and enjoy the occasion of being able to play in some of Europe’s top stadiums, including Baku, where the Europa League final will be held next May.
PREDICTED FINISH: 4th
TACTICS:
It is likely that Vasyl Sachko will line his side up as he has done for most league games this season, with a 4-2-3-1 formation. He will have two holding midfielders, two wide players and a supporting striker playing behind the target man up front. 


KEY MEN:
Pavlo Rebenok
The left midfielder will be relishing a chance to come up against some top clubs. Whilst he has yet to hit hit peak form in terms of delivery and assists this season, registering just one so far in 8 games, his side’s forwards will be looking to pick up their own form in order to convert the opportunities he provides. 

A seasoned UPL veteran, aged 33, he isn’t the quickest anymore, but he his dogged, aggressive and does help out with the defensive side of things on the left flank.




Vladyslav Kulach
The secondary forward joined on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2017, where he has remained for a second season. At the age of 25, he has yet to gain a senior appearance for his parent club but has been well versed in first team football with various loans across the UPL. He has started the season off strongly, having scored 2 goals in 6 games, he is currently his side’s top scorer and most potent attacking threat. 

He is technically gifted, being able to dribble well with the ball and he possesses some pace. However, in games against the bigger sides he does sometimes get lost. So it will depend on whether he is able to up his game against the likes of Arsenal and Sporting. If Vorskla are going to score goals in this campaign it will most likely come from the boots of Kulach. 

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 8


UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 8
THE UPL IS BACK! After a short hiatus due to the international break, Ukraine’s top division resumes play this weekend. The past fortnight has been extremely enjoyable for fans of the Ukraine National Team as they grabbed maximum points from their opening Nations League games. 

A last minute winner away against Czech Republic, a match that we saw live from the stands, caused jubilation amongst the large travelling support and from the millions watching back home in Ukraine. Ukraine added to this with a narrow win over Slovakia in an empty Arena Lviv. Whilst the playing style still raises questions and the lack of a killer edge still remains unsolved, Ukraine are in pole position to qualify for League A and the Nations League play offs. Marlos was particularly impressive against the Czechs whilst Karavayev and Matvienko caught the eye in the match versus the Slovaks.
Aside from the Nations League, the UPL ended two weeks ago with some shock results. Dynamo Kyiv were hopeless as they succumbed to a home defeat to Karpaty Lviv thanks to the wizardry of Ukraine U21 international, Mariyan Shved. This has seriously set Dynamo back in the title race, even at this early stage of the season. 

Beating Shakhtar home and away turns is not enough when the side drops points against the lower sides. Will the international break have helped Dynamo to recuperate and shake off their poor form going into the break or did it come at the wrong time? Zorya Luhansk are their next opponents who return to action having seen off Arsenal Kyiv in a 5-0 rout two weeks ago. We will see… 

The top two in the table also meet this week, with Oleksandriya hosting free scoring Shakhtar. Oleksandriya drew 2-2 to FC Lviv before the break and that result could set the precedent that will see them slowly return to their predicted mid table ranking. Shakhtar, and Junior Moraes in particular, have been on top form since their loss to Dynamo and they will be trying to halt any fairytale title challenges in their tracks on Saturday afternoon. 
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Our eighth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is sport’s journalist, Nestor Watach. Nestor is a British Ukrainian, raised in Leeds. He is a diehard Leeds United fan but also follows Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine due to his Ukrainian roots. 
LEEDS, DYNAMO & UKRAINE
Nestor’s Dad – Michael Watach – Leeds’ Biggest Fan

His passion for Leeds United comes from his ‘football-obsessed’ Dad. Nestor explains “Because my dad was a veteran groundhopper from his time supporting Leeds, every overseas holiday I had growing up was either for a Dynamo Kyiv European match or a Ukraine qualifier; such as taking me to the old Wembley in 1998 (Lobanovskiy’s legendary Dynamo side against Arsenal), Barry Town, Rome, Paris… and eventually back to the motherland for the first time in 2005. I’ve been back plenty of times since, most recently for the Champions League final in May.” Nestor’s holiday experiences resonate a lot with our own; booking trips to locations where Ukraine or Dynamo are playing and making sure the journey revolves around that! 
Nestor has also been to to each summer tournament that Ukraine have qualified for; Germany in 2006, home ground in 2012, and France in 2016. Nestor told us that “I was very privileged to have been there for Ukraine’s first ever World Cup match in Leipzig, even if it was a thrashing by Spain, but the all-time highlight was the 2-1 win over Sweden at the Olympiyskiy in 2012.” We are certainly jealous that Nestor saw these two historic games live whilst we skived off school to watch the early Spain kick off and then watched the Sweden match on TV too as it was mid way through GCSE exam season!
Nestor in his Leeds Utd Shirt behind A. Shevchenko – Euro 2012

Further to his obvious passion for football, we asked Nestor whether this drove him towards his current career as a sports journalist. Nestor told us “In terms of sports journalism, I was doing amateur writing and working boring admin jobs, and really wanted to do something I enjoyed. I’m lucky that I was in a position to do a master’s course in sports journalism in Sunderland, just a short commute from where I was living in Newcastle. It’s just finished now and hopefully I’ll be getting my foot in the door somewhere soon.” We wish Nestor the best of luck in his future sports writing exploits! 
TOP UKRAINIAN FOOTBALLING MOMENTS
As European football returns next week we decided to make Nestor reminisce about some memorable UCL moments involving Ukrainian sides. “It’s going back a long way, but when top-level European football wasn’t a closed shop, it was amazing to see Dynamo Kyiv go toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich, beat Real Madrid, and make the semi-finals of the Champions League. Shakhtar do remarkably well to get to the odd quarter final, but increasingly it feels like there’s a ceiling on what clubs in their position can achieve, and they probably push it to the limit.”  
Dynamo Kyiv v Shakhtar Donetsk – 2013
With the domestic league quality dwindling in recent seasons due to the War with Russia, we wanted to know what UPL moments also stood out for him in his memory. “In terms of domestic football, I followed it closest when I was studying abroad in Kyiv back in 2013. Shakhtar had an incredible team then and walked the title, but it was still fun. I went to several Dynamo matches, including in the Europa League, but the highlight was definitely the big Dynamo – Shakhtar match at the Olympiyskiy. Yarmolenko gave Dynamo the lead but Shakhtar won it with two Mkhitaryan goals.” 
In more recent years Nestor admits that it has become more difficult to follow the UPL on a regular basis. He still keeps afloat of the results and tries to watch the Ukrainian sides in Europe, but acknowledges that it’s been a while. “I suppose part of the issue is access in the UK. Relying on dodgy streams can be pretty frustrating. And in terms of writing, sadly there’s not a lot of demand on Ukrainian football so more recently my focus has been more on Spanish football and the Premier League.” 
SPORTS WRITING
We were also interested to find out a little bit more about Nestor’s recent work. Nestor has written pieces for ‘The Square Ball’, ‘These Football Times’ and ‘This is Anfield’ over the past few months with a piece about the Leeds United Four, in particular, being a fascinating read. Links to these can be found below. Nestor added “The Leeds’ midfield one was the most enjoyable piece I’ve written, because I was only a baby during that season so it’s as distant to me as the Don Revie team. It was so much fun to go back and watch all the footage and get to properly live it for the first time.” 
In terms of works in progress and what we can expect from Nestor in the near future, he told us “I’m currently putting together something on Arsene Wenger’s first title win with Monaco, which should be a long and in-depth read. I’ve even managed to speak to one of his former players about it.

At the moment I’m looking for my first proper journalist job, so we’ll see where that takes me. But while I’ve got time on my hands I’ll be taking the opportunity to do a lot more freelancing… Luckily Bielsa at Leeds is one of the most compelling stories in football this season and there’s plenty to write about there.”
LEEDS’ & UKRAINIAN CHANCES
As Nestor is quite the Leeds fan, we wanted to know how much he rated the club’s chances at getting automatic promotion this season.“I think the biggest question with Bielsa is always that of burnout, but the regular international breaks and massively increased fitness levels of the players should hold us in good stead. It’s early days but apart from Boro it looks really open at the top this year, so hopefully there’s places up for grabs. If Leeds can maintain the performances of the early season, and avoid key injuries, I’m very confident. But those are big ifs!” 
With Nestor’s Ukrainian background, we weren’t going to pass on asking him which Ukrainian side he saw going furthest in Europe this season. With three Ukrainian sides kicking off next midweek we wanted to know who had the best chances.Commenting on Shakhtar’s chances in the UCL, Nestor told us “It doesn’t feel right that Lokomotiv Moscow got the top seed position ahead of Shakhtar as a league winner, but I suppose the coefficient doesn’t lie and they’re paying the price for other Ukrainian teams underperforming. It looks like a transitional season for them, so they’ll do well to qualify out of the group, but a third place finish might be good for them because you’d fancy them as one of the favourites in the Europa League.”
Moving onto the Ukrainian contingent in the Europa League, “There’s no excuses for Dynamo, but it’s probably too big of an ask for Vorskla to qualify. The big two should definitely be playing knockout football come 2019, and then it’s the annual question of whether they can be fresh and at their best following the winter break. Hopefully they can both improve in that regard because it’s often been their undoing.” 
Overall Nestor is predicting Shakhtar to finish third but sees them going deepest in the Europa League knock out stages.

The Leeds United Ukrainians outside the NSC Olimpiyskiy
NESTOR’S SOCIAL LINKS:

⚽️Nestor Watach on Twitter

⚽️The Square Ball – Nestor’s piece on Bielsa 

⚽️These Football Times – Nestor on the Leeds United’s Midfield Four

⚽️This is Anfield – Nestor’s Guide to Kyiv 
PREDICTOR TIME


A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

FRIDAY


Desna Chernihiv v Arsenal Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: Desna’s results this season have been rather unpredictable, winning away at Zorya one week then losing at home to Olimpik. However, I feel they will finally pick up their first home win of the season in a very narrow low scoring win, as is traditional of Friday night games. 1-0
Nestor’s prediction: Arsenal to bounce back with a conservative approach following the thrashing before the international break. 1-1
RESULT: 1-0: A.FAVOROV (8′)

SATURDAY


Oleksandriya v Shakhtar Donetsk
Todos’ prediction: Shakhtar may have been running rampant before the International break but I feel that if they are going to be challenged by anyone other than Dynamo this season it will surely be Oleksandriya. Will finish all square. 1-1 
Nestor’s prediction: Despite a tricky away trip to this season’s surprise package, I expect Shakhtar will still have too much. Júnior Moraes to maintain his hot streak.   3-1
RESULT: 0-2: MARLOS (26′), KOVALENKO (88′)


Karpaty Lviv v Vorskla Poltava
Todos’ prediction: Mariyan Shved has been on fire over the past month with goals against Dynamo and picking up two more on International duty with the U21s. Hence, why I feel that he’ll steer his side to a comfortable home victory against an out of sorts and inconsistent Vorskla. 2-0
Nestor’s prediction: Karpaty have been unpredictable this season. With Vorskla having one eye on the Emirates, they’ll lose this one. 2-1
RESULT: 0-1: DALLKU (90+2′)
SUNDAY

Olimpik Donetsk v Mariupol
Todos’ prediction: This certainly wont be a high scoring game. Olimpik are quite solid at the back but do lack the killer blow in front of goal whereas Mariupol are the opposite. Score draw but not much else going on in this game. 1-1
Nestor’s prediction: Mariupol will be bottom come the end of the weekend, but this will be tight. 1-0
RESULT: 1-3: VAKULENKO PEN (26′) / FEDORCHUK (9′ & 89′), FOMIN (80′)
Zorya Luhansk v Dynamo Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: Surely Dynamo can’t go three games without a win the league or five games in all competitions? I have a feeling Zorya’s inconsistency this season will come to haunt them as Dynamo will be determined to notch three points up to prevent an even wider gap from opening between themselves and Shakhtar at the top. 1-2
Nestor’s prediction: Dynamo’s poor form to continue on this tough away trip. 2-2
RESULT: 1-1: HROMOV (44′) / SYDORCHUK (67′)

Chornomorets Odesa v FC Lviv
Todos’ prediction: Chornomorets continue to surprise me, week in week out. They have been tough to beat at home so far this season and I’m predicting they will resume their UPL campaign with a win. 2-1
Nestor’s prediction: A routine win for the home side. 2-0
RESULT: 0-1: DUARTE (43′)

MATCHDAY 8 – H2H WINNER: ANDREW TODOS
FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter

⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

GUEST LEADERBOARD 
Total scores after week 7
Todos
300
Guests
450
Todos v Guests
P8
W3
D1 L4

UEFA Nations League Preview – Czech Republic v Ukraine

UEFA Nations League Preview

UEFA’s new continental international competition kicks off on Thursday amid rejoice and confusion across Europe. Some are excited that this new concept will reinvigorate the international scene by offering more competitive games and decreasing the amount of friendlies. Others are generally just confused as to what the Nations League is all about. So here’s a simple and concise explanation of the latest football tournament to grace Europe:
The inaugural Nations League group stage round will run from September to November 2018. There are 4 leagues: A, B, C and D. Within each league there are 4 groups consisting of either 3 or 4 national teams. All the sides from the same group will play each other over home and away. Each side that tops their group will be promoted to the league above them, whilst the team that finishes bottom will be relegated to the league below. In League A, the four top sides progress to a final knock out tournament, which will be held next summer, to decide the Nations League champion. 

Whilst UEFA constructed this new concept in the hope of eradicating meaningless friendlies, as a result of some groups consisting of 3 teams, this means certain sides will still play friendlies to fill the gap in their calendars when the other two sides in their NL group battle it out. Despite that, as the Nations League does have a trophy to be won and a guaranteed qualifying place at EURO 2020 up for grabs from each League, traditionally weaker sides will have a greater incentive and a genuine chance to reach a major tournament.

UEFA explaining the Nations League format
Ukraine’s new Joma Kits

Ukraine are in League B and will face the Czech Republic and Slovakia for a chance to gain promotion to League A. They kick off against the Czechs on 6thSeptember in a small town called Uherske Hradiste. 

Ukraine go into the tournament on the back of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup (and not wanting to) last autumn whilst they more recently won the world renowned and prestigious Kirin Cup against Japan in March! In addition, a few days prior to the game kicking off, the Football Federation of Ukraine revealed the new 2018/19 Joma kits. For the first time ever Ukraine was given a third ‘white’ kit. Whilst it is unlikely that we will see it in use, it certainly stands out! The home and away kits are relatively simplistic but with a subtle ‘Tryzub and traditional Ukrainian embroidery’ design on the abdomen and sides, alongside ‘Glory to Ukraine’ text featuring on the back of the collar, it still oozes class, despite the usual reputation of the Joma brand name being cheap and unattractive . 

The Squad

Ukraine’s 23 man squad:

Andriy Pyatov, Denys Boyko, Andriy Lunin
Yevhen Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Oleksandr Karavaev, Mykola Mativenko, Serhiy Kryvstov, Yevhen Makarenko, Mykyta Burda, Oleh Danchenko, Andriy Tsurikov, Vasyl Kravets (Injured)
Andriy Yarmolenko, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Taras Stepanenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Marlos, Viktor Tsyhankov, Vitaliy Buyalskyi
Yevhen Seleznyov, Roman Yaremchuk
Members of the Ukraine squad have had a mixed start to the season. The likes of Ruslan Malinovskyi and Roman Yaremchuk have been highly instrumental for their club sides in Belgium so far whilst Marlos has been impressive pulling the strings for Shakhtar as has debutant Andriy Tsurikov, playing on the left, for the high flying Oleksandriya. 

However, others have not had the best of beginnings. Andriy Yarmolenko has yet to secure a starting spot at West Ham, having completed just one 90-minute game since January and Viktor Tsyhankov has yet to reach the electric form of last season as was seen in Dynamo’s underwhelming performances against Ajax in the UCL play offs. Despite this, Yarmolenko is prolific for the national team and it is more than likely that he will step up to the occasion during the Nations League as he chases down Andriy Shevchenko’s goal scoring record from the right flank. 

Andriy Lunin at CD Leganes
Young goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin impressed during his friendly appearances for Real Madrid and has since joined Leganes on loan but has not made an appearance yet. It’s unclear if Shevchenko will experiment with the goalkeeping position despite the fact that Andriy Pyatov and Denys Boyko cannot be relied upon consistently as they always seem to have a mistake in them which has cost their club sides results already this season. 

Overall the squad looks strong in both the defensive and midfield areas but the forward position still lacks consistency and experience. Artem Biesedin, pulled out early last week due to injury, and he himself is far from the quality desired for a national team striker. Yevhen Seleznyov has replaced him but apart from scoring tap ins, he is getting on at 33, and is not the long term solution needed to complete an optimum Ukraine national team starting line up. 

Tactics

Predicted Ukraine Starting XI
Shevchenko has played the same formation throughout his tenure. He has largely followed his predecessor in playing 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders, two wingers and a CAM. 

It is highly likely that Shevchenko will start Malinovksyi in one of the holding positions alongside Stepanenko with Marlos in front of them. Zinchenko has started in recent fixtures but his lack of playing time and the better form of other players will surely force Shevchenko to leave him on the bench. Oleh Danchenko will most likely make his debut at right back, taking over from Bohdan Butko, who has not been called up on this occasion. 

Ukraine will look to play on the counter attack, aiming to utilise the pace and ability of Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka down the flanks providing the link up play for the lone striker, Yaremchuk, up top. The main problem will be goals. Ukraine look quite solid at the back but it will depend on whether Malinovskyi and Marlos can transfer their club form to the national team, which they as of yet have been unable to do when playing for Ukraine. 

Key Men

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Ruslan  Malinovskyi is the most in-form Ukrainian player at the moment. Plying his trade in the Jupiler Belgian League, he has become KRC Genk’s key man as they sit second in the table. He has scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists in the league and scored 3 goals in the Europa League qualifiers, helping his side to the group stages. His set pieces and passes are on par with a peak Andrea Pirlo, consistently scoring free kicks and providing pin point crosses and through balls for his team mates. He also recently disclosed that the likes of Celta Vigo and other top European sides were after his services in the summer transfer window but he ultimately stayed at Genk and has since signed a new bumper contract.

Roman Yaremchuk

Roman Yaremchuk scored 9 goals last season for Gent and has scored 3 so far this season. He largely plays out wide for his club, but is a centre forward by trade. Whilst he has yet to make his Ukraine debut, Roman will most probably start up front on his own for Shevchenko’s side. With a bit of pace, a tall build and an eye for goal from anywhere inside the box, he may be the solution to Ukraine’s long winded striker problem that has stretched on since the day, Andriy Shevchenko retired in 2012.

Marlos

Marlos will look to finally get a goal for the national team after 7 appearances without one. He is instrumental for his club side Shakhtar, where he provides countless assists and goals, but he has not been able to carry this form over into his international performances. Usually playing on the right for Shakhtar, he will be made to play through the middle for Shevchenko which is he more than capable of doing, having experience of this free roam at Shakhtar. Whilst some do not like the fact he is being chosen for the squad due to him being Brazilian by birth, as he is a player of such quality and a regular starter for his club, Shevchenko should continue to select him. However, if he continues to underperform for the national side, questions will start to arise as to whether he is as integral to the side as Shevchenko sees him to be.

Zorya Londonsk’s Nations League CZE V UKR Score Prediction: 0-2

Background on the Czech Republic National Team 

By Guest Writer: Czech Football expert – Chris Boothroyd 

Ahead of this week’s Nations League game against the Czech Republic, we have teamed up with Chris Boothroyd from @CzeFootball and AmongSkyscrapers.co.uk, who has provided his analysis on the Czech side. He’ll be letting us know who is in the Czech squad, what their tactics are likely to be and what Ukraine will need to look out for when they step out in front of the sell out crowd at the Městský fotbalový stadion Miroslava Valenty.

Chris Boothroyd:

‘The Czech Republic enter the Nations League in limbo. After a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign, UEFA’s newest competition will allow the Czechs to continue rebuilding, though to what blueprint everybody will follow nobody seems to know.
Admittedly, head coach Karel Jarolím has been dealt a bad hand in terms of fitness, form and worryingly, consistency. But even with those barriers, there is a feeling that Jarolím has not yet settled on a system, let alone who would comprise his first XI. 
His relatively recent contract renewal spoke more of a lack of available alternatives than it did his own achievements at international level.
But, the Nations League offers a second chance. Not just for the coach, but for some relatively high-profile players too. For others, it is an opportunity to cement their place and catch the eye of curious onlookers.’

The Squad

‘Jarolím’s first competitive squad for almost a year has already undergone some radical changes. 
Within a few days of the nominations being announced, Antonín Barák (Sampdoria), Bořek Dočkal (Philadelphia Union), Jan Kopic (Viktoria Plzeň), Jiří Pavlenka (Werder Bremen) all withdrew due to a mixture of illness and injury. Almost immediately after Slavia Prague’s dominant 4-0 win over title rivals Viktoria Plzeň, Jarolím announced that the Vršovice trio of Ondřej Kolář, Stanislav Tecl and Jaromír Zmrhal would take their places.
Taking an actual look at the squad itself, there appears to be an evident lack of depth at centre-back, with only Jakub Brabec and Tomáš Kalas the only recognised central defenders called up by Jarolím. Worryingly for the Czechs (but a positive for Ukraine) these two have only played five games of football between them this season. However, Jarolím has used Filip Novák as a left-sided centre-back before, though the Trabzonspor man is normally a swashbuckling fullback-come-wingback by trade.
Elsewhere, Nürnberg’s Ondřej Petrák is the only newcomer to the squad and is in line to win his maiden international appearance after a solid start to the Bundesliga season.’

The System

‘Karel Jarolím has switched between a back three and a back four in recent games and the jury’s still out as to which system he’ll use. The lack of recognised centre-backs hints that he’ll revert to a back four, though you can’t discount the 62-year-old fielding Novák on the left, or dropping either Petrák into the back line.
My gut is that Jarolím will go with a 4-3-3, or a variation thereof. Look for expansive play down the wings as for all their central defensive woes, the Czechs are laden with proven quality at fullback, especially so down the right.’ 

Ones to watch

Patrik Schick

‘The obvious name to mention would be that of Patrik Schick, with the forward being the poster boy for the future of Czech football. But the Roma man plays second fiddle at international level to the prolific Michael Krmenčík.

Michael Krmenčík

Meant in the nicest way possible, Krmenčík is the archetypal Championship striker but with quality to burn and plenty of potential yet to realise. 

At 6ft 2in he’s got the size and strength to bully and harass opposition defenders and his record in front of goal for club and country is second to none. But where he comes into his own is in his hold-up play and gamesmanship. It’s little surprise that a host of European clubs have been linked with him recently, with Club Brugge and most recently Bordeaux believed to have enquired about his availability. 

Tomáš Souček

The most in-form Czech heading into the Nations League tie is Tomáš Souček. A target for Fiorentina, the gangly 23-year-old is a do-it-all central midfielder and although he normally given a primarily defensive responsibility, he has quite the knack for finding the back of the net, as he two goals for Slavia at the weekend demonstrate.

Souček has had his growing pains and was infamously dropped after a breakout season in 2015-16 in favour of more high-profile signings when Slavia started splashing the cash post-takeover. But the academy graduate has matured into one of the most tactically astute, likeable and reliable footballers in the Czech league and is one of the first names on the team sheet for both club and country. 
As noted earlier, the Czechs are well stocked at fullback, with Bundesliga stalwarts Theo Gebre Selassie and Pavel Kadeřábek squabbling over who’ll start on the right. Kadeřábek is the archetypal modern fullback; equally comfortable going forward as he is defensively and like many modern fullbacks, he’s a converted winger. The Czechs are equally strong in goal, with Tomáš Koubek and Tomáš Vaclík set to do battle for the number one shirt.’ 

Chris’ Nations League CZE V UKR Score Prediction: 2-1

We would like to thank Chris for taking the time to contribute to this Inaugural Nations League preview and would ask you give his social media pages and website a look for more interesting and insightful content including but not restricted to Czech football via the links below:

⚽️Czefootball on Twitter

⚽️Chris’ website 


Czech Logistics and Czech Republic NT camp info with Ondrej Zlamal 

We have also been in touch with Ondrej Zlamal who works for Czech 4 Sport and UEFA.com to give us an insight into the logistical situation as to why the match is being played in such a small town and stadium alongside asking for a perceptive on how the Czech management side view the new Nations League tournament as a concept. 

ZL: What’s the story behind the match being held in Uherské Hradiště? What is the reasoning behind such a move for a National Team game? Is this a regular occurrence or a new initiative, especially as the stadium size is under 10,000 in a relatively small town?
Městský fotbalový stadion Miroslava Valenty
Ondrej Zlamal:“The stadium in Uherske Hradiste was recently reconstructed for UEFA EURO 2015 held in the Czech Republic. It is a cosy, nice stadium and the fans in Uherské Hradiště are likely to fill it up to the capacity as they did not have many international games in town. 

Czech coach Karel Jarolím was a coach of local club Slovácko and he likes the site. I think it is a good decision, the game will have a good atmosphere, better than in Prague where a lot of games are held and the fans are a bit spoilt.”
ZL: What is the state of the current Czech national team?
Ondrej Zlamal:“The team is under a transition period after Rosický, Baroš, Čech, Lafata, Plašil and other older players ended their international careers. Players like Darida, Barák, Jankto or Vaclík are taking the role of the leaders. The team is suffering from a number of injuries with the likes of Pavlenka, Suchý, Darida, Dočkal, Kopic and Barák being injured and most of them would have been likely to start.”
ZL: Are the Czech team confident going into this new UEFA tournament? What are the coaching staff hoping to get out of this new concept? 
Ondrej Zlamal:“The Czechs need good results and good displays after missing out on the last FIFA World Cup. They definitely need to avoid relegation as this would cause problems with qualifying pots.”


Ondrej’s Nations League CZE V UKR Score Prediction: 1-1


We would also like to thank Ondrej for taking the time out of his busy football reporting schedule to reply to our budding questions about the Czech approach to the Nations League game against Ukraine. We kindly ask you to give his social media pages a follow for more interesting and insightful content about Czech football via the links below:

⚽️Ondrej on Twitter (English)

⚽️Ondrej on Twitter (Czech)

⚽️Czech 4 Sport Website

UPL PREDICTOR 2017/18 – MATCHDAY 7


UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 7
The last 100% record in the UPL has fallen. Dynamo Kyiv join the rest of the league in having failed to win at least of their fixtures so far this season. Chornomorets Odesa were the perpetrators that brought Dynamo down to Earth and given them some food for thought in terms of how much the team is progressing and how seriously problems need to be addressed. Whilst Dynamo did play a weakened line up, with one eye on their UCL play off second leg, the reserves were unable to capitalise on their starts as they ended up drawing 1-1. The one positive for Dynamo was that promising talent, Nazariy Rusyn scored again and overtook Biesedin’s season tally in the process. On the other hand, Chornomorets continue to cause shocks. Despite being tipped to struggle this season, they have so far been resilient and this result reinforces that. 
Fabrizio Ravanelli
Elsewhere in the UPL, Oleksandriya continued their storming start to the season with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Vorskla, whilst Shakhtar triumphed in a goal filled 5-2 Donetsk Derby win over a stagnating Olimpik side. After picking up their first point the week before, Ravanelli’s Arsenal Kyiv have gone onto pick up their first win after seeing off Karpaty Lviv. It seems the Barnsley fans on Twitter last week, who raised the alarm over new Karpaty manager, Jose Morais’ managerial record, are being proven right from the outset!
Away from the league, it was another hugely important week for Ukrainian clubs in Europe. Both Dynamo and Zorya had tough second legs to get past in order to make their aspirational group stages. Dynamo were first up against Ajax. Although they were 3-1 down on aggregate, it was all to play in Kyiv. Despite an electric opening 10 minutes, Dynamo faded and folded quickly. If it were not for a missed penalty from Dusan Tadic and the heroics of Denys Boyko then Dynamo would have been humiliated at the Olympiyskiy. In typical Dynamo fashion of recent years, they bowed out without a whimper with a 0-0 draw, minimally threatening the Ajax goal in what was a must win game. 
On the other hand, Zorya put up a much better fight against RB Leipzig. Having fended off their corporate backed opponents in the first leg in a 0-0 draw, this second leg proved to be a goal fest. Leipzig went ahead, Rafael Ratao drew Luhansk level. Gordienko edged Zorya in front after break after a stunning counter attacking move. Unfortunately, history repeated itself for Zorya, as Leipzig drew level and got their winner from the penalty spot in the 90thminute. Sheer devastation. This means that Shakhtar will be the sole representatives of the UPL in the Champions League this season, whilst Dynamo and Vorskla head for the Europa League group stages.
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Aberdeen and Pittodrie
Our seventh guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Clark Gillies. Clark has been a long time travelling Scotland supporter, whilst following Aberdeen and Wimbledon as his club sides. We asked Clark for a little background into why he is so fond of these two teams. Clark told us “I grew up in West Kilbride in Ayrshire and as a child of the 1980’s living in Scotland can be seen as something of a glory hunter, what with the successful Sir Alex Ferguson Aberdeen team of the time!” Aberdeen is Clark’s main team, but he grew an affection for AFC Wimbledon due to having cousins living in Staines in Surrey. 
The Crazy Gang
Clark added “They were all Arsenal fans, and we used to visit them a lot, and around 1988-ish we were down and planned to attend an Arsenal match, but could not get tickets, and looking at the other fixtures, Wimbledon were playing Coventry. So as a 7-year-old I was introduced to Plough Lane and the Crazy Gang, and just grew to love it!” With the commitments of family life these days, Clark does not get as many opportunities to see them both at the present but he tries his best when he can.
As mentioned previously, Clark is an avid and passionate Scotland fan! He has supported them both home and away for years. Clark cast his mind back to when he first started travelling to Scotland matches “I began in my university years, me and a few friends travelled to Riga in Latvia in 2000 for a World Cup qualifier, which Scotland won 1-0.
Since then he has attended around 52 away games right across Europe (and even as far as Yokohama in Japan), including Ukraine in Kyiv in 2006. Clark still goes to home and away games, and has exciting trips to Israel and Albania booked for later this year. 
Aside from the physical aspect of watching football, as a travelling fan, Clark is also currently involved with the Scotland fans charity, the Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal. Clark explained “We are a small charity from Scotland who make donations at EVERY game the Scotland national team play at. Since 2003 we have made 67 donations and handed over £100,000 in money to organisations and charities that help children and young adults.”
Clark (L) in Hungary with TASA, March 2018
The Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal’s success stories are awe inspiring. Clark noted that “over the years we have helped others in ways like building a playground at a psycho-neurological hospital in Moldova, providing computer training for children suffering from cancer in Austria, medical care for a Special School of Arts for Children with Impaired Vision in Ukraine, and incubator units for premature babies in Croatia.”
You can find out more about the donation in Kyiv in 2006 via the links that can be after the interview.
Clark has a big fascination for football beyond the old Iron Curtain. We asked him to shed light on how this intrigue came about and how he has developed and grown his links to football in the Central and Eastern European regions. 
“I’ve always had an interest in those areas of the footballing world, which I think stems from when Celtic played Partizan Belgrade in the early 90’s. These teams from behind the Iron Curtain just seemed so exotic to me, and I just grew to find out more and more.”
However, his introduction to Ukraine was actually by total accident.
In 2003, his then future wife Victoria was in Lithuania with Christian Aid, and Clark was there for Lithuania v Scotland in a Euro 2004 qualifier.
“I asked this blonde girl at the table next to me in a restaurant if she could translate the menu and she said she could not read Lithuanian as she was from a country I probably had never heard of…. I asked where and she said “Ukraine”…. to which I replied “Shevchenko, Rebrov, Dynamo Kyiv etc etc” and she was actually really impressed that I know about her country.”
“Later that year me and a friend from University planned a trip to Moscow, but I missed my connection in Amsterdam, and so they sent me to Moscow via Kyiv, and while I never left the airport, it stuck with me that I must visit Ukraine properly some day. So when I got home from Russia I started planning a trip to Ukraine, and remembered Victoria who I met in Lithuania.”
“After exchanging a few emails it was agreed that I would visit her in her city of Ternopil, and she would show me around Western Ukraine, including Lviv.”
One thing lead to another, we visited Moldova and also attended a Belarus v Scotland match in Minsk, and in 2006 we got married and have two great kids these days!
On the topic of Eastern Europe, Clark also told us a rather typical and amusing anecdote from his Moldova trip that was mentioned in the latter paragraph. 
Moldova v Scotland, October 2004
“One story that always stick out is when we played Moldova in 2004. I had just met Victoria (my wife from Ukraine) the previous year, and with young love said if she wanted to visit Moldova to meet my friends (as I was booked to travel via Kyiv any way). Victoria to my surprise said yes, but as she lives in Ternopil, we decided to get the bus from Lviv to Chisinau. 
At 3am we arrive at the Ukraine-Moldova border and the guards take my passport… 10 minutes later some big Ukrainian border guard asks me to follow him off the bus. As I spoke no Ukrainian at the time Victoria did all the talking…They got into a pretty heated argument, then suddenly she stops talking with a blank look on her face… 
It turns out that he did not believe any fans from Scotland would travel to Moldova for a football match, and certainly not at 3am in the morning from the Ukrainian side… On top of all this Victoria added “oh and he wants one of your shirts!”.”
It turns out that he thought I was one of the Scotland football team players travelling to Moldova to meet up with my team mates, as he was convinced I must play for Dynamo Kyiv or Karpaty Lviv, and was basically trying to get a signed shirt off me! Thankfully I got to Moldova without any further problems after that, but that particular trip has always stuck in my mind.
Oleksiy Mikhailichenko at Rangers
Clark has dabbled in a bit of football writing in the past. His article for ‘These Football Times’ was really insightful and interesting looking into the links between Scottish and Ukrainian football that flourished during the 1990s as Ukrainians took the SPL by storm. We would highly recommend that anyone interested in Ukrainian football gives it a read! A link to it will be found in the links section below which can be found after this interview.
With Scotland, Ukraine and football being so close to Clark’s heart it seemed only right for us to ask what he saw was coming next for both country’s football scenes. “I think Scottish football is on the rise, but as for Ukrainian football it is not helped by the current climate over there just now. Hopefully Dynamo can recover from getting knocked out of the UCL by Ajax and do well in the Europa League whilst it was a shame about Zorya coming up just short tonight.
Furthermore, we wanted to know Clark’s overall hopes and predictions for the UPL this season. “In terms of the league, Dynamo look to have improved a lot from last season, and if early form is to continue, they should nick it from Shakhtar, but with Dynamo, you know they have a habit of switching off in the wrong games at critical stages of the season!” 
As for Ukrainian clubs’ exploits in Europe, we asked Clark who he thought would reach the furthest stage. “I think Dynamo will probably progress the furthest out of all the teams, as CL seems heavily stacked to favor that elite group that Shakhtar do not fall into in Europe, but hope all do well.”
Keep up to date with the latest from Clark, The Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal and and don’t forget to check out his written pieces via the links provided below. 

PREDICTOR TIME 


A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.


FRIDAY

Vorskla Poltava v Chornomorets Odesa
Todos’ prediction: Chornomorets may have grabbed a point against Dynamo last week and continually seem to trump me when I’ve gone against them so far this season but I shall be going against them once more. With Vorskla being at home and needing to vindicate their loss to Oleksandriya last week, they will edge this one.1-0
Clark’s prediction: ‘This should be a good mid table game and pretty hard to call, but saying a low scoring Vorskla win’. 2-0
RESULT: 2-1: Kulach (49′), Ryzhuk OG (87′) / Chorniy (63′)

SATURDAY


Shakhtar Donetsk v Mariupol

Todos’ prediction: Shakhtar are now firmly in their groove. Junior Moraes and Marlos are both on red hot form at the moment and I don’t see them slowing down against Mariupol. The Azov side aren’t a pushover but Shakhtar will be just too overwhelming. 3-0
Clark’s prediction: ‘Nice “romantic” tie and something of a derby, but honestly can not see past Shakhtar steamrolling to victory in this’.4-0
RESULT: 2-0: Moraes (43′) , Dawa OG (56′)

SUNDAY


Desna Chernihiv v Olimpik
Todos’ prediction: Desna looked a formidable side last time out as they routed Zorya away. They’ll look to build a win streak as they host an underperforming Olimpik Donetsk. Olimpik’s busy summer of acquiring numerous transfers has as of yet not led them to any scintillating football or form. 2-0
Clark’s prediction: ‘Again, another mid table fixture that could go either way, but suspect draw most likely scenario. 1-1
RESULT: 0-1: Bilonoh (55′)


FC Lviv v Oleksandriya
Todos’ prediction: Oleksandriya are flying. Dynamo defeat aside they haven’t needed to chase a game yet. They won’t need to this time round either. Oleksandriya will edge it. 0-1
Clark’s prediction: ‘Interesting tie, with Lviv actually having some not bad showings this season, but can not see past an Oleksandriya victory.’ 0-2
RESULT: 2-2: Duarte (8′), Taylor (21′) / Hrytsuk (54′), Sitalo (83′)

Arsenal Kyiv – Zorya Luhansk
Todos’ prediction: After the devastation of their Europa League exit, Zorya will look to put that behind them by focusing solely on the league. Their European exploits seem to have curtailed their league performances and as such will be desperate to get back on track. Arsenal Kyiv seem to be on the up after grabbing 4 points from 2 games but that will end here.  0-2
Clark’s prediction: ‘Arsenal are really struggling since getting back to the top flight, and I imagine this will be a strong Zorya victory, but would be nice for Arsenal to get something.’ 0-3
RESULT: 0-5: Karavaev (5′), Khomchenovsky (13′, 69′), Rafeal Ratao (44′), Lednev (51′)

Dynamo Kyiv v Karpaty Lviv 
Todos’ prediction: I have been blindly backing and expecting Karpaty to pull off wins left, right and centre so far this season but all they have succeeded in is perpetual disappointment. Dynamo will want to make up for last week’s dropped points and will be relentless in hoping to please supporters after the poor showing in the midweek play offs. 3-0
Clark’s prediction: ‘This should be the tie of the weekend! Karpaty do have a habit of raising their game in this fixture. You would not think both teams are at opposite ends of the table, but Dynamo should win.’ 3-0
RESULT: 0-2: Shved (19′, 45+2′)

MATCHDAY 7 – H2H WINNER: DRAW

FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG


⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter


⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

 

GUEST LEADERBOARD (UPDATE IN PROGRESS)

Total scores after week 7
Todos
250
Guests
430
Todos v Guests
P7
W2
D1     L4